9533米！科学家发现地球最深“化能生命”群落

Core Insights - The "Global Abyss Exploration Program," led by the Chinese Academy of Sciences, has made a significant discovery of the deepest known chemosynthetic life community and associated geological fluid activity at a depth of 9,533 meters in the Northwest Pacific's Chiba-Kamchatka Trench and Aleutian Trench [1][2] - The research utilized the "Fendouzhe" manned submersible to uncover large-scale chemosynthetic life communities and methane reservoirs, primarily consisting of deep-sea tube worms and bivalve mollusks that rely on hydrogen sulfide and methane-rich fluids for sustenance [1] - Geochemical analysis indicates that the methane in these environments is produced by microorganisms deep within sediment layers, suggesting the existence of a previously unknown, large, active deep biosphere beneath the abyssal seafloor [1] - This discovery challenges the traditional view that abyssal ecosystems primarily depend on organic particles and animal remains sinking from the ocean surface, providing a new perspective on the complex mechanisms of deep-sea carbon cycling [1] - The research not only identifies new species of chemosynthetic life but also suggests that chemosynthetic organisms may significantly influence the structure of abyssal ecosystems and global carbon cycling [1] - Scientists hypothesize that this phenomenon is not unique, indicating the presence of a "chemosynthetic life corridor" in global abyssal trenches [1]