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Biosignatures for Astrobiology pp 87–109Cite as

The Deep Subseafloor and Biosignatures

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Part of the book series: Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics ((ASTROBIO))

Abstract

A critical issue in astrobiology is “where to look for present or past life?” and which types of environments could be relevant, i.e. environments associated with high probabilities to (have) support(ed) life and preserve(d) biosignatures. Due both to the large reservoir it represents and to its protective effect against harmful surface conditions, for example radiation, oxidation, the subsurface is of considerable interest in astrobiology. On Earth, living microorganisms have been documented buried in the subsurface up to depths of several kilometers, demonstrating that the deep subsurface can be inhabited by complex microbial communities for millions of years and offering astrobiologists the possibility to better understand how life could be supported, and what kind of biosignatures could be expected, in the subsurface of other planetary bodies. In this chapter we present general trends in the microbial ecology of deep subsurface environments and their peculiar conditions, with a focus on sedimentary microbial ecosystems. We provide a case study of the Canterbury Basin subseafloor as an analogue, subsurface ecosystem on extraterrestrial planetary bodies, and discuss analytical methods for studying microbial lifestyles and preservation in that ecosystem.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France

    Frédéric Gaboyer

  2. Université de Brest, Laboratoire Universitaire de Biodiversité et Ecologie Microbienne (EA3882), ESIAB, Plouzané, France

    Gaëtan Burgaud

  3. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Woods Hole, MA, USA

    Virginia Edgcomb

Authors
  1. Frédéric Gaboyer
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  2. Gaëtan Burgaud
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  3. Virginia Edgcomb
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Correspondence to Frédéric Gaboyer .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dipartimento di Scienze Biologiche, Geologiche e Ambientali, Università di Bologna, Bologna, Italy

    Barbara Cavalazzi

  2. Centre de Biophysique Moléculaire, CNRS, Orléans, France

    Frances Westall

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Gaboyer, F., Burgaud, G., Edgcomb, V. (2019). The Deep Subseafloor and Biosignatures. In: Cavalazzi, B., Westall, F. (eds) Biosignatures for Astrobiology. Advances in Astrobiology and Biogeophysics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-96175-0_4

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