海洋极端环境微生物活动与油气资源关系

为了弄清海洋极端环境下微生物参与油气资源形成和演化的潜在机制, 进行了现代海洋热泉和冷泉等环境中微生物类型分析和生物量估算, 探讨了极端微生物活动和油气资源的潜在关系.认为海洋极端环境下微生物类型主要为细菌和古细菌, 热泉微生物群落主要为异养发酵菌、硫酸盐还原菌、产甲烷菌等; 冷泉微生物群落主要为ANME-2族的厌氧甲烷氧化古细菌、硫酸盐还原细菌和ANME-1族厌氧甲烷氧化古菌.这些极端微生物利用CH₄和H₂S等气体进行能量固定, 有较高的生物丰度和较低的分异度, 具有垂向和水平分带性, 并能营生一套独特的宏体生物.极端微生物活动直接和间接地参与了油气资源的形成和改造, 示踪海底油气资源的变迁.对于探索地球早期海洋微生物活动与油气资源形成, 寻找地史时期或华南地史早期烃源岩具有重要理论和实践指导意义. 

Potential Relationship between Extremophiles and Hydrocarbon Resources in Marine Extreme Environment

To understand the potential mechanism of marine extremophiles participating in the formation and the evolution of hydrocarbon resources in marine extreme environments, some typical kinds of extremophiles and their distributions in marine hydrothermal venting and cold venting are discussed and evaluated respectively. The potential relationship between extremophile activities and hydrocarbon resources in marine extreme environments are then discussed in details. It could be now preliminary concluded that archaea and bacteria are the two main kinds of extremophiles in marine extreme environments. The dominating microbial communities in hydrothermal venting are heterotrophic zymogens, sulphate reducers and methanogens, while the ANME-2 group (Methanosarcinales) surrounded by sulfate-reducing bacteria and ANME-1 group are dominated in cold venting. Marine extremophiles would be able to use CH4 and H2S to synthesize energy for metabolism and to support food chains for other unique macrobiota nearby, which together present a high abundance but a low diversity with distinct characteristics of horizontal and vertical distributions. Marine extremophiles might play an important role either directly or indirectly in the processes of hydrocarbon formation and later alteration, and could indicate the evolution of hydrocarbon resources in marine extreme environments. Our research thus has a great significance both in theoretical approach of potential hydrocarbon resources formed by marine extremophile activities and in practical exploration of the potential hydrocarbon source sedimentary layers formed in the earth history or the potential strata in South China.