Life at Interfaces: Biocomplexity in Extreme Environments

Interdisciplinary Relationships

Considering the vast differences in the two branches of science, one may wonder: "How exactly does geology relate to biology?"

Or perhaps more specifically: "How does the geologic environment govern microbial habitats and processes?"

The flow chart below illustrates the interrelationship of the various components of the Biocomplexity Project.

• Recent faulting within the basin controls the spatial pattern of hot spring distribution and maintains conduits for water to travel from the geothermal reservoir to the land surface.
• Aqueous geochemistries for the hot springs indicate relatively uniform reservoir characteristics (consistent with geophysical studies).
• Hot spring waters are dilute bicarbonate, but contain elevated levels of arsenic and boron.
• Hydrologic investigations of spring temperatures show that boundary conditions to microbial environments result from local geologic processes, consistent with geophysical studies.
• Mathematical modeling and biodiversity studies show temperature to be the single most important factor in determining microbial community structure.
• Biogeochemical cycling studies and mathematical modeling show that a unique community structure develops in response to the raw inputs.

Example of scaling relationships: