Geomicrobial functional groups: A window on the interaction between life and environments |
| |
Authors: | ShuCheng Xie Huan Yang GenMing Luo XianYu Huang Deng Liu YongBiao Wang YiMing Gong Ran Xu |
| |
Institution: | [1]State Key Laboratory of Biogeology and Environmental Geology, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China [2]State Key Laboratory of Geological Processes and Mineral Resources, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan 430074, China |
| |
Abstract: | Microbes are well-known for their great diversity and abundance in modern natural environments. They also are believed to
provide critical links among higher organisms and their associated environments. However, the low diversity of morphological
features and structures of ancient microbes preserved in sediments and rocks make them difficult to identify and classify.
This difficulty greatly hinders the investigation of geomicrobes throughout Earth history. Thus, most previous paleontological
studies have focused on faunal and floral fossils. Here, geomicrobial functional groups (GFGs), or a collection of microbes
featured in specific ecological, physiological or biogeochemical functions, are suggested to provide a way to overcome the
difficulties of ancient microbe investigations. GFGs are known for their great diversity in ecological, physiological and
biogeochemical functions. In addition, GFGs may be preserved as the biogeochemical, mineralogical and sedimentological records
in sediments and rocks. We reviewed the functions, origins and identification diagnostics of some important GFGs involved
in the elemental cycles of carbon, sulfur, nitrogen and iron. GFGs were further discussed with respect to their significant
impacts on paleoclimate, sulfur chemistry of ancient seawater, nutritional status of geological environments, and the deposition
of Precambrian banded iron formations. |
| |
Keywords: | geomicrobial functional group carbon-sulfur-nitrogen cycle iron reduction and oxidation photosynthesis molecular fossils geobiology critical periods |
本文献已被 CNKI 维普 SpringerLink 等数据库收录! |
|