Center for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR 97403-5289, USA.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2010 Nov 27;365(1558):3645-53. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2010.0283.
The variation of life has predominantly been studied on land and in water, but this focus is changing. There is a resurging interest in the distribution of life in the atmosphere and the processes that underlie patterns in this distribution. Here, we review our current state of knowledge about the biodiversity and biogeography of the atmosphere, with an emphasis on micro-organisms, the numerically dominant forms of aerial life. We present evidence to suggest that the atmosphere is a habitat for micro-organisms, and not purely a conduit for terrestrial and aquatic life. Building on a rich history of research in terrestrial and aquatic systems, we explore biodiversity patterns that are likely to play an important role in the emerging field of air biogeography. We discuss the possibility of a more unified understanding of the biosphere, one that links knowledge about biodiversity and biogeography in the lithosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere.
生命的多样性主要在陆地和水中进行研究，但这种焦点正在发生变化。人们对大气中生命分布以及构成这种分布模式的基础过程重新产生了兴趣。在这里，我们回顾了目前关于大气生物多样性和生物地理学的知识状况，重点是微生物，这是空中生命中数量占优势的形式。我们提出的证据表明，大气是微生物的栖息地，而不仅仅是陆地和水生生物的通道。在陆地和水生系统丰富的研究历史基础上，我们探讨了可能在新兴的空气生物地理学领域发挥重要作用的生物多样性模式。我们讨论了更统一地理解生物圈的可能性，即将岩石圈、水圈和大气圈中的生物多样性和生物地理学知识联系起来。
