海洋最深处遍布微生物
文章来源:未知 文章作者:enread 发布时间:2013-03-18 07:17 字体: [ ]  进入论坛
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The deepest place in the ocean is teeming1 with microscopic2 life, a study suggests.

研究发现,海洋中最深处充满了微生物。
 
An international team of scientists found that the very bottom of the Mariana Trench3, which lies almost 11km down in the Pacific Ocean, had high levels of microbial activity. 
 
The research is published in the journal Nature Geoscience. 
 
The underwater canyon4(峡谷) was once thought to be too hostile(敌对的) an environment for life to exist.
 
But this study adds to a growing body of evidence that a range of creatures can cope with the near-freezing temperatures, immense pressures and complete darkness.
 
Dr Robert Turnewitsch, one of the authors of the paper from the Scottish Association for Marine5 Science, said: "The deepest parts of the deep sea are certainly not dead zones."
 
Carbon sink
 
In 2010, the scientists sent an unmanned submersible down into the vast underwater canyon, where it collected samples of the murky6(黑暗的) sediment7 that cakes the sea floor.
 
An analysis of the levels of oxygen in the sample revealed the presence of a large number of microbes.
 
Dr Turnewitsch explained: "These microbes, they respire(呼吸) as we do. And this oxygen consumption is an indirect measurement of the activity of the community."
 
Surprisingly, these primitive8, single-celled organisms were twice as active at the bottom of the trench than they were at a nearby 6km-deep (four miles) site.
 
They were feasting on a plentiful9 supply of dead plants and creatures that had drifted down from the sea surface, the decomposing10 matter becoming trapped within the steep walls of the trench. 
 
"The amount of food down there and also the relative freshness of the material is surprisingly high - it seems to be surprisingly nutritious," said Dr Turnewitsch. 
 
The level of material found at the bottom of the trench was so high that it suggests the Mariana Trench - which is in an area of the ocean known as the Hadal zone - could play a key part in the carbon cycle and therefore in regulating the planet's climate. 
 
Dr Richard Turnewitsch said: "The fact that large amounts of organic matter that contain the carbon accumulate and are focused in these trenches11 also means they play an important role in the removal of carbon from the ocean and the overlying atmosphere. 
 
"The Hadal trenches may play a more important role in the global marine carbon cycle than was previously12 thought."


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1 teeming 855ef2b5bd20950d32245ec965891e4a     
adj.丰富的v.充满( teem的现在分词 );到处都是;(指水、雨等)暴降;倾注
参考例句:
  • The rain was teeming down. 大雨倾盆而下。
  • the teeming streets of the city 熙熙攘攘的城市街道
2 microscopic nDrxq     
adj.微小的,细微的,极小的,显微的
参考例句:
  • It's impossible to read his microscopic handwriting.不可能看清他那极小的书写字迹。
  • A plant's lungs are the microscopic pores in its leaves.植物的肺就是其叶片上微细的气孔。
3 trench VJHzP     
n./v.(挖)沟,(挖)战壕
参考例句:
  • The soldiers recaptured their trench.兵士夺回了战壕。
  • The troops received orders to trench the outpost.部队接到命令在前哨周围筑壕加强防卫。
4 canyon 4TYya     
n.峡谷,溪谷
参考例句:
  • The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
  • The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。
5 marine 77Izo     
adj.海的;海生的;航海的;海事的;n.水兵
参考例句:
  • Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
  • When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时,他自愿参加了海军陆战队。
6 murky J1GyJ     
adj.黑暗的,朦胧的;adv.阴暗地,混浊地;n.阴暗;昏暗
参考例句:
  • She threw it into the river's murky depths.她把它扔进了混浊的河水深处。
  • She had a decidedly murky past.她的历史背景令人捉摸不透。
7 sediment IsByK     
n.沉淀,沉渣,沉积(物)
参考例句:
  • The sediment settled and the water was clear.杂质沉淀后,水变清了。
  • Sediment begins to choke the channel's opening.沉积物开始淤塞河道口。
8 primitive vSwz0     
adj.原始的;简单的;n.原(始)人,原始事物
参考例句:
  • It is a primitive instinct to flee a place of danger.逃离危险的地方是一种原始本能。
  • His book describes the march of the civilization of a primitive society.他的著作描述了一个原始社会的开化过程。
9 plentiful r2izH     
adj.富裕的,丰富的
参考例句:
  • Their family has a plentiful harvest this year.他们家今年又丰收了。
  • Rainfall is plentiful in the area.这个地区雨量充足。
10 decomposing f5b8fd5c51324ed24e58a14c223dc3da     
腐烂( decompose的现在分词 ); (使)分解; 分解(某物质、光线等)
参考例句:
  • The air was filled with the overpowering stench of decomposing vegetation. 空气中充满了令人难以忍受的腐烂植物的恶臭。
  • Heat was obtained from decomposing manures and hot air flues. 靠肥料分解和烟道为植物提供热量。
11 trenches ed0fcecda36d9eed25f5db569f03502d     
深沟,地沟( trench的名词复数 ); 战壕
参考例句:
  • life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
  • The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕,并在田野上呈扇形散开。
12 previously bkzzzC     
adv.以前,先前(地)
参考例句:
  • The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
  • Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿,解释原先发生了什么。
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