Slow Microbial Life in the Seabed

Global microbial cell numbers in the seabed exceed those in the overlying water column, yet these organisms receive less than 1% of the energy fixed as organic matter in the ocean. The microorganisms of this marine deep biosphere subsist as stable and diverse communities with extremely low energy availability. Growth is exceedingly slow, possibly regulated by virus-induced mortality, and the mean generation times are tens to thousands of years. Intermediate substrates such as acetate are maintained at low micromolar concentrations, yet their turnover time may be several hundred years. Owing to slow growth, a cell community may go through only 10,000 generations from the time it is buried beneath the mixed surface layer until it reaches a depth of tens of meters several million years later. We discuss the efficiency of the energy-conserving machinery of subsurface microorganisms and how they may minimize energy consumption through necessary maintenance, repair, and growth.