Alcanivorax Borkumensis

What are microbes?Single celled organisms that make up the

bacteria and archaea kingdomsThey make up a majority of the life on

Earth in terms of mass. They are the first living organisms to

develop.

Role in EcologyNearly all microbes are either

decomposers or producers. They play major roles in maintaining the

nitrogen and carbon cycles and decomposing carbon based organisms

tiny Evolution Microbes are the oldest organism on earth

specifically 3.3 billion years. Without them evolution would never have

taken placeThe first micro-organisms were

photosynthetic Cyano-bacteria

Deep SeaLife for the microbes in the deep ocean

is intense. Several factors in their environment are:

immense pressure, complete darkness, and restricted by lack of chemicals and nutrients in most places for metabolism. They are often called “extremophiles. (living in extreme environments (salinity, temperature, pH, pressure)

The ocean is separated into multiple biospheres or layers

Each of these have their own unique characteristics.

Only areas that receive significant light (photic zone) have primarily been observed.

Microbes beneath the sea floor are a new area of reearch by C-DEBI (Center for Dark Energy and Biological investigation)http://www.darkenergybiosphere.org/resources/toolbox.html

How do scientists search for and collect microbes beneath the sea floor?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOgZy9TfSFo&feature=youtu.be

What We Learn from Ocean DrillingOcean drilling has:

Confirmed the theories of plate tectonics and continental drift.

Altered our thinking about the formation of geologic hazards like earthquakes, volcanoes and tsunamis.

Discovered methane, in the “frozen” form of hydrates (substance containing water), in sediments below the ocean, and confirmed that they exist worldwide.

Discovered a vast and active biosphere of microbes living deep below the seafloor, far deeper than scientists ever predicted life could exist. These are unknown microbes with an estimated biomass greater than all terrestrial life

Provided major insights into the paleoclimate record—the changes to our global climate that have occurred over the past 100 million years and more.

ThinkWhy are microbes so essential to all life

forms in terms of ecology and evolution? (5min)