Dino-Microbe
The dinosaurs may be long gone, but some much, much smaller (and far, far older) creatures still persist, and in vast quantities. According to a study in Nature (described in Science News), a coalition of German and Japanese researchers has determined that the earth's sea floors and sediments are covered in a thick coat of Archaea, primitive, single-celled organisms that flourish in extreme conditions of temperature, pressure and acidity. These Archaea, the scientists say, account for almost 100 billion tons of carbon mass, or about one-tenth as much as is stored in the world's rain forests.
In a very, very rough way, Archaea are related to another large group of single-celled organisms (Bacteria) in the same way that dinosaurs are related to modern mammals--they evolved first, and they're more "primitive" (though no less successful) in functional terms. It's also a good bet that they have a crucial role to play in the deep-sea ecosystem, and that their destruction would be a calamity for life on the surface.
Comments
Interesting. Is this a new fuel source someone will now seek to exploit? Will we have underwater dives now to see the Archaea Ooze Pits?
Ok, altought Archea name implies an “ancient” name; “modern” bacteria seem to be older.
There are poisons that kill “modern” bacteria, but not the Archea or Eukariotes (modern organisms and multicellular ones)group. But there are some chemicals that affect both Archea and Eukariotes but not “modern” bacteria.