Fossils in VHMS and SEDEX deposits, and associated cherts: 3.2 billion year link between hydrothermal activity and life

摘要

Sea-floor hydrothermal activity at mid-ocean and arc-related spreading ridges supports communities of novel animals which depend on the reduced compounds (mostly H_2S) in the vent fluid for their energy source by way of chemoautotrophic bacteria. These sites are also home to a variety of other bacteria and archaea utilising the large number of chemical compounds present. Some of these microbes are hyperthermophilic and have deep roots in the RNA tree of life', prompting the suggestion that life on earth may have evolved at hydrothermal vent sites (e.g. Pace). In this presentation, we will review the palaeontological evidence for hydrothermal vent related macro- and micro-organisms through time.