Research on the biomineralization in modern seafloor hydrothermal systems is conducive to unveiling the mysteries of the early Earth’s history, life evolution, subsurface biosphere and microbes in outer space. The hy...Research on the biomineralization in modern seafloor hydrothermal systems is conducive to unveiling the mysteries of the early Earth’s history, life evolution, subsurface biosphere and microbes in outer space. The hydrothermal biomineralization has become a focus of geo-biological research in the last decade, since the introduction of the microelectronic technology and molecular biology technology. Microorganisms play a critical role in the formations of oxide/hydroxides (e.g. Fe, Mn, S and Si oxide/hydroxides) and silicates on the seafloor hydrothermal systems globally. Furthermore, the biomineralization of modern chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms is regarded as a nexus between the geosphere and the biosphere, and as an essential complement of bioscience and geology. In this paper, we summarize the research progress of hydrothermal biomineralization, including the biogenic minerals, the microbial biodiversity, and also the interactions between minerals and microorganisms. In the foreseeable future, the research on hydrothermal biomineralization will inspire the development of geosciences and biosciences and thus enrich our knowledge of the Earth’s history, life evolution and even astrobiology.展开更多
基金supported by the Natural Science Foundation of China (91858208, 41606086, 41606087)National Key Basic Research and Development Program of China 2017YFC0307704)the Marine Geological Survey Program of China Geological Survey (DD20190819).
文摘Research on the biomineralization in modern seafloor hydrothermal systems is conducive to unveiling the mysteries of the early Earth’s history, life evolution, subsurface biosphere and microbes in outer space. The hydrothermal biomineralization has become a focus of geo-biological research in the last decade, since the introduction of the microelectronic technology and molecular biology technology. Microorganisms play a critical role in the formations of oxide/hydroxides (e.g. Fe, Mn, S and Si oxide/hydroxides) and silicates on the seafloor hydrothermal systems globally. Furthermore, the biomineralization of modern chemolithoautotrophic microorganisms is regarded as a nexus between the geosphere and the biosphere, and as an essential complement of bioscience and geology. In this paper, we summarize the research progress of hydrothermal biomineralization, including the biogenic minerals, the microbial biodiversity, and also the interactions between minerals and microorganisms. In the foreseeable future, the research on hydrothermal biomineralization will inspire the development of geosciences and biosciences and thus enrich our knowledge of the Earth’s history, life evolution and even astrobiology.
