D'Hondt Steven, Rutherford Scott, Spivack Arthur J
Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA.
Science. 2002 Mar 15;295(5562):2067-70. doi: 10.1126/science.1064878.
Global maps of sulfate and methane in marine sediments reveal two provinces of subsurface metabolic activity: a sulfate-rich open-ocean province, and an ocean-margin province where sulfate is limited to shallow sediments. Methane is produced in both regions but is abundant only in sulfate-depleted sediments. Metabolic activity is greatest in narrow zones of sulfate-reducing methane oxidation along ocean margins. The metabolic rates of subseafloor life are orders of magnitude lower than those of life on Earth's surface. Most microorganisms in subseafloor sediments are either inactive or adapted for extraordinarily low metabolic activity.
一个富含硫酸盐的开阔海洋区域，以及一个海洋边缘区域，在该区域硫酸盐仅限于浅层沉积物。两个区域都会产生甲烷，但仅在硫酸盐耗尽的沉积物中含量丰富。沿着海洋边缘，在硫酸盐还原甲烷氧化的狭窄区域中代谢活动最为强烈。海底生命的代谢率比地球表面生命的代谢率低几个数量级。海底沉积物中的大多数微生物要么不活跃，要么适应极低的代谢活动。
