Archaea, Not Bacteria, Dominate Subseafloor Ecosystem

Biogeoscientists show evidence of 90 billion tons of microbial organisms -- expressed in terms of carbon mass -- living in the deep biosphere. This tonnage corresponds to about one-tenth of the amount of carbon stored globally in tropical rainforests. Archaea were found to make up at least 87 percent of organisms that colonize the deep biosphere. This finding is in stark contrast to previous reports, which suggest that Bacteria dominate the subseafloor ecosystem.

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