Chinese scientists map out deepest marine ecosystem, reveal life mysteries

This photo taken in 2020 shows China's deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver) that is equipped with searchlight products independently invented by a company in Foshan in south China's Guangdong Province. (Xinhua)

SHANGHAI, March 7 (Xinhua) -- In a groundbreaking study, a group of Chinese scientists unveiled the survival mechanisms of mysterious life in the Mariana Trench, Earth's deepest oceanic realm.

Using specimens collected by the country's deep-sea manned submersible Fendouzhe (Striver), the researchers have uncovered novel adaptation strategies and the resource potential of microorganisms, crustaceans, and fish species in the extreme environment, according to three papers published on Friday in the journal Cell.

The Mariana Trench, at almost 11,000 meters deep, is a perpetually dark and frigid abyss with a pressure of 1,100 atmospheres, once deemed a "no-life zone." On November 10, 2020, Fendouzhe reached the trench and uncovered its rich ecosystem.

The researchers have identified over 7,500 representative genomes of prokaryotic microorganisms at the species level, nearly 90 percent of which are previously unreported new ones, with a diversity comparable to the total known marine microbial diversity globally.

They also found that the genome of the amphipod, a shrimp-like invertebrate, is more than four times larger than the human genome.

Investigations on genomes of 11 deep-sea fish species there revealed that the accumulation of a kind of fatty acids can help those fish cope with high-pressure environments.

The results have extended the human understanding of marine ecosystems to 10,000-meter abysses, and the newly found genes, structures, and biological functions may provide innovative approaches to addressing the global biological resource crisis.