Geomicrobial processes and biodiversity in the deep terrestrial subsurface

The concept of a deep microbial biosphere has advanced over the past several decades from a hypothesis viewed with considerable skepticism to being widely accepted. Phylogenetically diverse prokaryotes have been cultured from or detected via characterization of directly-extracted nucleic acids from a wide range of deep terrestrial environments. Recent advances have linked the metabolic potential of these microorganisms, determined directly or inferred from phylogeny, to biogeochemical reactions determined via geochemical measurements and modeling. Buried organic matter or kerogen is an important source of energy for sustaining anaerobic heterotrophic microbial communities in deep sediments and sedimentary rock although rates of respiration are among the slowest rates measured on the planet. In contrast, Subsurface Lithoautotrophic Microbial Ecosystems based on H-2 as the primary energy source appear to dominate in many crystalline rock environments. These photosynthesis-independent ecosystems remain an enigma due to the difficulty in accessing and characterizing appropriate samples. Deep mines and dedicated rock laboratories, however, may offer unprecedented opportunities for investigating subsurface microbial communities and their interactions with the geosphere.