IN APPRECIATION OF GEOMICROBIOLOGY

摘要

The interplay between the biosphere, dominated by microorganisms, and the geosphere has profoundly shaped our planet and all life on it. From the very early stages of Earth's history to the present day, geomicrobio-logical processes have been at work — the introduction of oxygen into the atmosphere and the subsequent development of aerobic organisms, the extraction of nitrogen minerals from rocks and their conversion into usable molecules including proteins, the ongoing global cycling of carbon, nitrogen and sulphur, and more practical present day manifestations including the production of chemicals of practical use and the degradation of their toxic consequences. Yet despite these obvious examples of biology and geology influencing each other, immense gaps remain in our understanding of the specific forces underpinning these processes and the subsequent response of individual organisms and communities.