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Earth´s earliest mappable ecosystem

地球上最早的可绘制地图的生态系统

基本信息

批准号：
208417365
负责人：
Professor Dr. Christoph Heubeck
金额：
--
依托单位：
Institut für Geowissenschaften
依托单位国家：
德国
项目类别：
Research Grants
财政年份：
2012
资助国家：
德国
起止时间：
2011-12-31 至 2018-12-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://gepris.dfg.de/gepris/projekt/208417365?language=en
关键词：
Earth earliest mappable ecosystem

项目摘要

The Barberton Greenstone Belt, South Africa, contains a very‐high‐resolution record of Middle Archaean (Moodies Group, ~3.2 Ga), dominantly nearshore depositional environments which preserve an extensive, morphologically diverse microbial biota. These biomats represent the oldest‐known well‐preserved mappable biomediated units; any older signs of life are either restricted to outcrop‐scale (or smaller) or show low morphological diversity (e.g., banded carbonaceous cherts). In addition, previous signs of microbial life are known only from carbonate, deep‐water or evaporitic environments.Micromorphology and extent of the biomats is facies‐dependent and adapted to medium‐ to high‐energy sandy and gravelly, mud‐free shorelines. Microbial mats are composed of isotopically light kerogen and show remnants of cellular structures; their internal complexity, metabolism and ecology is subject of this proposal. Abundant bulbous and domal structures suggest trapping of metabolic gases and possibly phototactic behavior. The great age, diverse morphology, abundance, mappable extent, fair degree of preservation and well‐defined paleoenvironments makes these mats an ideal object to study chemical composition, (micro‐)stratigraphic architecture and sedimentary facies. I believe that this proposal holds the potential to expand our knowledge of early life habitats on Earth and possibly elsewhere, constrain early metabolic pathways, and contribute to our knowledge of biologic diversification, early strategies of life and the rise of oxygen.

南非巴伯顿绿岩带包含中太古代(Moody群，约3.2Ga)的非常高分辨率的记录，主要是近岸沉积环境，保存了广泛的、形态多样的微生物生物群。这些生物代表了最古老的、保存完好的可测绘的生物中介单元；任何较老的生命迹象要么限于露头规模(或更小)，要么显示出较低的形态多样性(例如，条带碳质硅质岩)。此外，以前的微生物生命迹象仅在碳酸盐、深水或蒸发环境中已知。生物的微形态和范围取决于相，并适应中到高能的砂质和砾石、无泥的海岸线。微生物垫由同位素轻质干酪根组成，显示细胞结构的残留物；它们的内部复杂性、新陈代谢和生态是本提案的主题。丰富的球状和穹隆结构暗示了代谢气体的捕获和可能的趋光行为。它们的时代、多样的形态、丰度、可测绘的程度、相当的保存程度和明确的古环境使它们成为研究化学成分、(微观)地层结构和沉积相的理想对象。我相信，这一提议有可能扩大我们对地球上以及其他地方早期生命栖息地的了解，限制早期新陈代谢途径，并有助于我们了解生物多样性、早期生命战略和氧气的上升。