Hydrocarbon seepage in the deep seabed links subsurface and seafloor biospheres

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 117; no. 20; pp. 11029 - 11037
• Main Authors: Chakraborty, Anirban, Ruff, S. Emil, Dong, Xiyang, Ellefson, Emily D., Li, Carmen, Brooks, James M., McBee, Jayme, Bernard, Bernie B., Hubert, Casey R. J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 19.05.2020
• Subjects: Alkanes; Archaea; Bacteria; Biological Sciences; Biosphere; Deep sea; Deep water; Dispersal; Dispersion; Gases; Genomes; Heterotrophs; Hydrocarbons; Marine sediments; Microbial activity; Microbiomes; Microorganisms; Ocean floor; Organic matter; Sediments; Seepage; Transport; deep biosphere; dispersal; microbiome

Marine cold seeps transmit fluids between the subseafloor and seafloor biospheres through upward migration of hydrocarbons that originate in deep sediment layers. It remains unclear how geofluids influence the composition of the seabed microbiome and if they transport deep subsurface life up to the...