大气中的微量气体支持南极沙漠表面土壤的初级生产
Mukan Ji1, Chris Greening2, Inka Vanwonterghem3
1School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, Australian Centre for Astrobiology, UNSW Sydney, Randwick, New South Wales 2052, Australia.
Nature
|December 7, 2017
概括
南极沙漠土壤中的微生物群落以大气中的微量气体如和一氧化碳为生. 这些气体提供了必不可少的能量和碳,
科学领域:
- 微生物学
- 天体生物学
- 环境科学
背景情况:
- 南极沙漠土壤拥有丰富的微生物,
- 了解这些能量通路对于理解生命在寡量环境中的极限至关重要.
研究的目的:
- 研究大气微量气体作为南极土壤微生物群落的主要能源的作用.
- 确定利用这些气体的代谢途径和生物.
主要方法:
- 从基因组数据重建23个基因组草案,包括候选类型WPS-2和AD3.
- 对参与气体代谢的关键酶 (化酶,一氧化碳脱化酶,RuBisCO) 的基因表达分析.
- 土壤微观的化,以测量大气中的H2和CO和CO2固定.
主要成果:
- 主要的微生物群体具有高亲和性化酶和一氧化碳脱化酶的基因,以及用于化学合成碳固定的RuBisCO血统.
- 土壤微观表现出有氧吸收大气中的二氧化和二氧化碳,
- 观察到显著的化学二氧化碳固定,而光合作用固定是可以忽略的.
结论:
- 大气中的H2,CO和CO2被提出为可靠的能源和碳来源,支持南极土壤微生物群落.
- 这表明大气气体是太阳能或地质能源的潜在替代品.
- 这些发现提供了对生命的最低营养需求和其他行星生命的潜力的见解.
相关概念视频
Primary Production
25.6K
The total amount of energy acquired by primary producers in an ecosystem is called gross primary production (GPP). However, of this energy, producers use some for metabolic processes, and some is lost as heat, decreasing the amount of energy available to the next trophic level. The remaining usable amount of energy is called the net primary productivity (NPP). In terrestrial ecosystems, NPP is driven by climate, while light penetration and nutrient availability drive NPP in aquatic ecosystems.
25.6K
Carbon-dioxide Fixation
753
Carbon dioxide fixation in prokaryotes enables the assimilation of inorganic carbon into organic molecules, supporting biosynthetic pathways, sustaining ecosystems, and contributing to the global carbon cycle. It also has industrial applications in carbon capture and bioproduct synthesis. Autotrophic organisms rely on this process to utilize CO₂ as a carbon source in diverse environments.The Calvin CycleThe Calvin cycle is the most widespread carbon fixation mechanism, primarily used by...
753
The Soil Ecosystem
25.0K
Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:
25.0K
Green Algae
929
Green algae, also referred to as chlorophytes, are different from red algae in having the chloroplasts containing chlorophylls a and b, which give them their distinct green hue. However, they lack phycobiliproteins, preventing them from developing the red or blue-green pigmentation seen in red algae. In terms of photosynthetic pigment composition, green algae closely resemble plants and share a close evolutionary relationship with them. Taxonomically Green algae belong to Phylum Chlorophyta in...
929
Overview of Nitrogen Metabolism
11.5K
Nitrogen is a very important element for life because it is a major constituent of proteins and nucleic acids. It is a macronutrient, and in nature, it is recycled from organic compounds and stored in the form of ammonia, ammonium ions, nitrate, nitrite, or nitrogen gas by many metabolic processes. Many of these metabolic processes are carried out only by prokaryotes.
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
The largest pool of nitrogen available in the terrestrial ecosystem is gaseous nitrogen (N2) from the air, but this...
11.5K
The Sulfur Cycle
52.1K
Sulfur, an important element in the chemical makeup of proteins, is recycled through the atmosphere and aquatic and terrestrial environments. Found in the atmosphere as sulfur dioxide (SO2), sulfur is released by decaying organisms, weathered rocks, geothermal vents, volcanos, and burning fossil fuels. It is deposited into the ecosystem, cycled through the biotic community, and either released back into the atmosphere as gas or deposited in marine sediment for long-term storage and eventual...
52.1K


