【人民日报海外版】我国科学家发现全球最深化能合成生态系统

Core Insights - An international research team led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences has discovered the world's deepest and largest chemosynthetic ecosystem in the Northwest Pacific, specifically in the Chiba-Kamchatka and Aleutian trenches, at a depth of 9,533 meters [1][2] - The research utilized the "Striver" manned submersible to reveal thriving chemosynthetic communities that do not rely on sunlight for energy, instead using chemical reactions from geological fluids for metabolism [1][2] - This discovery challenges existing beliefs about life survival at extreme depths and provides new perspectives on the complex mechanisms of deep-sea carbon cycling [1][2] Group 1 - The research indicates that the chemosynthetic communities observed are the deepest and largest known, spanning over 2,500 kilometers of trench bottom, primarily consisting of deep-sea tube worms and bivalve mollusks [1][2] - These communities sustain themselves by utilizing fluids rich in hydrogen sulfide and methane that rise along faults [1][2] - The study suggests that new species of chemosynthetic life may be discovered, along with potential new metabolic pathways and mechanisms for extreme pressure adaptation [1] Group 2 - The findings have significant implications for understanding the Earth's deep carbon cycle, revealing that methane in these environments is produced by microbial activity deep within sediment layers [2] - This indicates the existence of a previously unknown, large, active deep biosphere dominated by methane-producing microorganisms, which convert carbon dioxide from decomposed organic matter into methane [2] - The research challenges the traditional view that deep-sea ecosystems primarily rely on organic particles and animal remains from the ocean surface, suggesting that chemosynthetic life plays a more crucial role than previously thought [2]