Rock-Hosted Subsurface Biofilms: Mineral Selectivity Drives Hotspots for Intraterrestrial Life
The continental deep subsurface is likely the largest reservoir of biofilm-based microbial biomass on Earth, but the role of mineral selectivity in regulating its distribution and diversity is unclear.Minerals can produce hotspots for intraterrestrial life by locally enhancing biofilm biomass.Metabolic transformations of minerals by subsurface biof