"海底黑烟囱"与生命起源述评

海底黑烟囱及相关生物群体的发现是近20年来全球海洋科学取得的最重要的科学成就之一.在海底黑烟囱周围高温、高压、黑暗、缺氧、含硫等极端环境中,生活着特殊的深海生物群落,它们的初级生产者嗜热细菌和古细菌,在基因组序列上最接近地球上原始的祖先,生活环境也与生命起源时地球上的高温、缺氧环境非常类似.地球历史早期热液系统曾经在地球表面广泛分布,因而嗜热微生物有着广泛的生存空间.通过对生命起源必须具备的物质条件、环境条件、能量条件、安全条件等方面考虑,现代海底黑烟囱周围的水热环境是探索生命起源的理想场所.

A Review on "Black Smokers" and Its Implication for Origin of Life

The discovery of Black Smokers is one of the most important scientific achievements of global ocean science in last twenty years. Communities of highly specialized animals live in a hostile environment of high temperature, extreme pressure, complete darkness, oxygen deficient and sulphur around Black Smoker sites. Their primary producer is Archaea. The living environment of Archaea resembles the environment of early life origin. In the genome serial, Archaea is close to common ancestor of life. The system of hot fluids extended widely, therefore, thermophiles had an expansive living space. Considering the conditions of substance, environment, energy and security necessary for life origin, ideal habitats for life origin are similar to the hydrothermal environments around the Black Smokers at deep sea floor.