The deep-sea environment comprises a wealth of distinct ecosystems, such as hydrothermal vents, cold seeps and subsurface habitats. A multitude of bacteria and archaea live in these distant niches, and face challenges for growth at extremes of temperature, pressure and carbon limitation. This Review describes life in the deep-sea biosphere and discusses how microorganisms overcome the scarcity of energy resources, which is relevant to understanding the limitations to, and the diversity of, life on Earth.
- Bo Barker Jørgensen
- Antje Boetius