A groundbreaking study published in ScienceAdvances reveals that over half of Earth's microbial cells may exist in the subsurface, contradicting beliefs that life diminishes with less sunlight. Lead author Emil Ruff stated that microbial diversity in certain subsurface locales can rival or exceed surface ecosystems like tropical forests. This research, which consolidates over 1,400 datasets, is significant both for its groundbreaking findings and its standardization of data collection, enhancing the understanding of microbial life and its ecological principles globally.
"It's commonly assumed that the deeper you go below the Earth's surface, the less energy is available, and the lower is the number of cells that can survive."
"But we show that in some subsurface environments, the diversity can easily rival, if not exceed, diversity at the surface."
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