Microbes: the hidden giant behind the biogeochemical cycling of elements in the hydrosphere  

作　　者：Li Huang Xiang Xiao Guoping Zhao 

机构地区：[1]State Key Laboratory of Microbial Resources,Institute of Microbiology,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100101,China [2]College of Life Sciences,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences,Beijing 100049,China [3]State Key Laboratory of Microbial Metabolism,School of Life Sciences and Biotechnology,Shanghai Jiao Tong University,Shanghai 200240, China [4]Key Laboratory of Synthetic Biology,Institute of Plant Physiology & Ecology,Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences,Chinese Academy of Sciences,Shanghai 200032,China

出　　处：《Science China(Life Sciences)》2019年第10期1271-1274,共4页中国科学（生命科学英文版）

摘　　要：Microbes are the oldest inhabitants of Earth. Through billions of years of coevolution with Earth, these creatures, usually invisible to the naked eye, have contributed to shaping the Earth surface, creating an ecosystem habitable for higher organisms including humans. By some estimates, microbes account for up to half of the biomass on the planet today (Whitman et al., 1998). They thrive in every corner of Earth, including harsh habitats such as hot springs, hydrothermal vents, salt and soda lakes, acid mine drainage, deep subsurface, and thus define the boundaries of the biosphere. Microbes also exhibit immense genetic and metabolic diversity. Therefore, it is not surprising that these organisms play a pivotal role in driving elemental cycling on Earth, a process essential for maintaining the habitability of the planet Earth.

关 键 词：EARTH surface SUCH as ACCOUNT for 

分 类 号：Q[生物学]