Geobiology of modern and ancient endolithic microorganisms within ultramafic rocks on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge

拟议项目的主要目标是描述活跃的和化石的石器内深层生物、它们的有机遗骸和大西洋中部海脊(14°45‘N到15°15’N之间)玄武岩和其他超镁铁质岩石孔隙空间中的矿物沉淀物，这些岩石将在2004年初R/V流星M60/3巡航期间被发现。这些结果将与其他玄武岩进行比较，主要是来自不同地区的枕状玄武岩(例如，ODP200腿)。为此，将使用玄武岩样品的薄片进行全面、多阶段的实验。将使用组织学染色产品、荧光原位杂交(FISH)和进一步培养独立的分子生物学方法(例如DGGE)在显微镜下研究活跃的石器内“深”生物。脂质生物标记物特征和大分子研究将提供关于微生物和一般有机物分布的进一步知识。地球化学和同位素替代物将被用来描述枕状岩石和其他超镁铁质岩石类型(如d13C、d18O、d34S、87/86Sr、主次元素、稀土元素)以前的气泡和裂隙中新形成的矿物。我们预计，分析将表明脱气玄武岩和裂隙的内部孔隙空间是一个发育良好的微生物生态系统，据推测，在洋壳形成海底的任何地方都可以找到这种微生物生态系统。因此，枕状玄武岩孔隙中的微生物作用可能会对地球化学元素收支产生重大影响。

The major goal of the proposed project is the geobiological description of active and fossil deep endolithic organisms, their organic remains and mineral precipitates within pore space of basaltic and other ultramafic rocks from the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (between 14°45´N and 15°15´N) which will be recovered during cruise M60/3 of R/V Meteor in early 2004. These results will be compared with other basaltic rocks, predominately pillow basalts from different localities (e.g. ODP Leg 200). For this purpose, thin sections of the basaltic rock samples will be used for a comprehensive, multiphase experimental approach. The active endolithic "deep" bioshere will be investigated microscopically using histological staining prodedures, fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH), and further culture independent molecular biological methods (e.g. DGGE). Lipid biomarker signatures and macromolecular investigations will provide further knowledge on the distribution of microorganisms and generally of organic matter. Geochemical and isotope proxies will be used to describe newly formed minerals in the former gas bubbles and fractures of pillow and other ultramafic rock tpyes (e.g. d13C, d18O, d34S, 87/86Sr, major and minor elements, REE). We anticipate, that the analyses will show that the inner pore space of degassed basaltic rocks and fractures is a well developed microbial ecosystem which presumably is found everywhere where oceanic crust forms the seafloor. Therefore, microbial-mediated process mineralisations within pillow basalt pore space may have a significant impact on geochemical element budgets.