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Science 15 March 2002:
Vol. 295. no. 5562, pp. 2067 - 2070
DOI: 10.1126/science.1064878
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Reports

Metabolic Activity of Subsurface Life in Deep-Sea Sediments

Steven D'Hondt,* Scott Rutherford, Arthur J. Spivack

Global maps of sulfate and methane in marine sediments reveal two provinces of subsurface metabolic activity: a sulfate-rich open-ocean province, and an ocean-margin province where sulfate is limited to shallow sediments. Methane is produced in both regions but is abundant only in sulfate-depleted sediments. Metabolic activity is greatest in narrow zones of sulfate-reducing methane oxidation along ocean margins. The metabolic rates of subseafloor life are orders of magnitude lower than those of life on Earth's surface. Most microorganisms in subseafloor sediments are either inactive or adapted for extraordinarily low metabolic activity.

Graduate School of Oceanography, University of Rhode Island, Narragansett, RI 02882, USA.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: dhondt{at}gso.uri.edu

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