| Microbial Habitability and Pleistocene Aridification of the Asian Interior | |
| Wang, JY (Wang, Jiuyi)1,2,3; Lowenstein, TK (Lowenstein, Tim K.)3; Fang, XM (Fang, Xiaomin)1,2; Lowenstein, TK | |
| Source Publication | ASTROBIOLOGY
 |
| 2016 | |
| Volume | 16Issue:6Pages:379-388 |
| DOI | 10.1089/ast.2015.1397 |
| Abstract | Fluid inclusions trapped in ancient halite can contain a community of halophilic prokaryotes and eukaryotes that inhabited the surface brines from which the halite formed. Long-term survival of bacteria and archaea and preservation of DNA have been reported from halite, but little is known about the distribution of microbes in buried evaporites. Here we report the discovery of prokaryotes and single-celled algae in fluid inclusions in Pleistocene halite, up to 2.26 Ma in age, from the Qaidam Basin, China. We show that water activity (alpha(w)), a measure of water availability and an environmental control on biological habitability in surface brines, is also related to microbe entrapment in fluid inclusions. The alpha(w) of Qaidam Basin brines progressively decreased over the last similar to 1 million years, driven by aridification of the Asian interior, which led to decreased precipitation and water inflow and heightened evaporation rates. These changes in water balance produced highly concentrated brines, which reduced the habitability of surface lakes and decreased the number of microbes trapped in halite. By 0.13 Ma, the alpha(w) of surface brines approached the limits tolerated by halophilic prokaryotes and algae. These results show the response of microbial ecosystems to climate change in an extreme environment, which will guide future studies exploring deep life on Earth and elsewhere in the Solar System. |
| Subject Area | 地质学 |
| WOS ID | WOS:000377210200001 |
| Language | 英语 |
| Indexed By | SCI |
| Keyword | Western Qaidam Basin Ne Tibetan Plateau Long-term Survival Drill Core Sg-1 Water-activity Death-valley Fluid Inclusions Ancient Halite Saline Valley Salt Deposits |
| Cooperation Status | 国际 |
| Department | 碰撞与隆升 |
| Subtype | Article |
| Citation statistics | |
| Document Type | 期刊论文 |
| Identifier | http://ir.itpcas.ac.cn/handle/131C11/7689 |
| Collection | 图书馆 |
| Corresponding Author | Lowenstein, TK |
| Affiliation | 1.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Tibetan Plateau Res, CAS Ctr Excellence Tibetan Plateau Earth Sci, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China 2.Chinese Acad Sci, Inst Tibetan Plateau Res, Key Lab Continental Collis & Plateau Uplift, Beijing 100101, Peoples R China 3.SUNY Binghamton, Dept Geol Sci & Environm Studies, Binghamton, NY 13902 USA |
| Recommended Citation GB/T 7714 | Wang, JY ,Lowenstein, TK ,Fang, XM ,et al. Microbial Habitability and Pleistocene Aridification of the Asian Interior[J]. ASTROBIOLOGY,2016,16(6):379-388. |
| APA | Wang, JY ,Lowenstein, TK ,Fang, XM ,&Lowenstein, TK.(2016).Microbial Habitability and Pleistocene Aridification of the Asian Interior.ASTROBIOLOGY,16(6),379-388. |
| MLA | Wang, JY ,et al."Microbial Habitability and Pleistocene Aridification of the Asian Interior".ASTROBIOLOGY 16.6(2016):379-388. |
| Files in This Item: | ||||||
| File Name/Size | DocType | Version | Access | License | ||
| V.16(6) 379-388 2016（1438KB） | 期刊论文 | 作者接受稿 | 开放获取 | CC BY-NC-SA | View Application Full Text | |
Items in the repository are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.
Edit Comment