Describe as accurately as possible the biodiversity, the specific and functional diversity of the microbial ecosystem of PHF
Assess the influence of abiotic and biotic factors on the structure and functioning of the ecosystem
Reveal the strategies developed by these microorganisms (individually or collectively) to colonize and maintain themselves in extreme environments (alkaline pH, limited C and energy sources)
Describe the metabolism (energetic and central) of the main actors and their involvement in the major biogeochemical cycles (H2, C, S, N)
(assess the share of organic C of abiotic origin)
Expected impacts
Discovery of unknown extremophilic microorganisms and/or new metabolisms
New paradigm on the functioning of subsurface microbial ecosystems (The « Deep Biosphere »)
New light on the importance of abiotic syntheses in the emergence of life on Earth and certain exoplanets
New hypotheses on primitive metabolisms
Visibility of the consortium at the international level: subsurface microbiology, geochemistry of hydrothermal systems, exobiology)
This project is funded by the French National research Agency « ANR ». It is an interdisciplinary and international long-terme collaboration between researchers at the Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography, Geoscience Environnement Toulouse, Institut du Globe de Paris, Medis, Entropie, The Stony Brook University.
