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Shaping of the present-day deep biosphere at Chicxulub by the impact catastrophe that ended the Cretaceous
Cockell, C.S.; Schaefer, B.; Wuchter, C.; Coolen, M.J.L.; Grice, K.; Schnieders, L.; Morgan, J.V.; Gulick, S.P.S.; Wittmann, A.; Lofi, J.; Christeson, G.L.; Kring, D.A.; Whalen, M.T.; Bralower, T.J.; Osinski, G.R.; Claeys, P.; Kaskes, P.; de Graaff, S.J.; Déhais, T.; Goderis, S.; Hernandez Becerra, N.; Nixon, S.; IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 Scientists (2021). Shaping of the present-day deep biosphere at Chicxulub by the impact catastrophe that ended the Cretaceous. Front. Microbiol. 12: 668240. https://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2021.668240
In: Frontiers in Microbiology. Frontiers Media: Lausanne. ISSN 1664-302X; e-ISSN 1664-302X
Peer reviewed article  
Available in  Authors 
    Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee: Open access 381713 [ download pdf ]
Authors  Top 
  • Cockell, C.S.
  • Schaefer, B.
  • Wuchter, C.
  • Coolen, M.J.L.
  • Grice, K.
  • Schnieders, L.
  • Morgan, J.V.
  • Gulick, S.P.S.
  • Wittmann, A.
  • Lofi, J.
  • Christeson, G.L.
  • Kring, D.A.
  • Whalen, M.T.
  • Bralower, T.J.
  • Osinski, G.R.
  • Claeys, P.
  • Kaskes, P.
  • de Graaff, S.J.
  • Déhais, T.
  • Goderis, S.
  • Hernandez Becerra, N.
  • Nixon, S.
  • IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 Scientists
Abstract
    We report on the effect of the end-Cretaceous impact event on the present-day deep microbial biosphere at the impact site. IODP-ICDP Expedition 364 drilled into the peak ring of the Chicxulub crater, México, allowing us to investigate the microbial communities within this structure. Increased cell biomass was found in the impact suevite, which was deposited within the first few hours of the Cenozoic, demonstrating that the impact produced a new lithological horizon that caused a long-term improvement in deep subsurface colonization potential. In the biologically impoverished granitic rocks, we observed increased cell abundances at impact-induced geological interfaces, that can be attributed to the nutritionally diverse substrates and/or elevated fluid flow. 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing revealed taxonomically distinct microbial communities in each crater lithology. These observations show that the impact caused geological deformation that continues to shape the deep subsurface biosphere at Chicxulub in the present day.
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