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| Titel |
Subseafloor basalts as fungal habitats |
| VerfasserIn |
M. Ivarsson |
| Medientyp |
Artikel
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| Sprache |
Englisch
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| ISSN |
1726-4170
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| Digitales Dokument |
URL |
| Erschienen |
In: Biogeosciences ; 9, no. 9 ; Nr. 9, no. 9 (2012-09-18), S.3625-3635 |
| Datensatznummer |
250007283
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| Publikation (Nr.) |
 copernicus.org/bg-9-3625-2012.pdf |
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| Zusammenfassung |
| The oceanic crust is believed to host the largest potential habitat for
microbial life on Earth, yet, still we lack substantial information about
the abundance, diversity, and consequence of its biosphere. The last two
decades have involved major research accomplishments within this field and a
change in view of the ocean crust and its potential to harbour life. Here
fossilised fungal colonies in subseafloor basalts are reported from three
different seamounts in the Pacific Ocean. The fungal colonies consist of
various characteristic structures interpreted as fungal hyphae, fruit bodies
and spores. The fungal hyphae are well preserved with morphological
characteristics such as hyphal walls, septa, thallic conidiogenesis, and
hyphal tips with hyphal vesicles within. The fruit bodies consist of large
(∼50–200 µm in diameter) body-like structures with a defined
outer membrane and an interior filled with calcite. The fruit bodies have at
some stage been emptied of their contents of spores and filled by carbonate-forming
fluids. A few fruit bodies not filled by calcite and with spores
still within support this interpretation. Spore-like structures (ranging
from a few µm to ∼20 µm in diameter) are also observed
outside of the fruit bodies and in some cases concentrated to openings in
the membrane of the fruit bodies. The hyphae, fruit bodies and spores are
all closely associated with a crust lining the vein walls that probably
represent a mineralized biofilm. The results support a fungal presence in
deep subseafloor basalts and indicate that such habitats were vital between
∼81 and 48 Ma. |
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