ABSTRACT

Permafrost describes the condition of earth material (sand, ground, organic matter, etc.) cemented by ice when its temperature remains at or below 0°C continuously for longer than 2 years. Evidently, permafrost is as old as the time passed from freezing of the earth material. Permafrost is a unique phenomenon and may preserve life forms it encloses. Therefore, in order to talk confidently about the preservation of paleo-objects in permafrost, knowledge about the geological age of sediments, i.e. when the sediments were formed, and permafrost age, when those sediments became permanently frozen, is essential. There are two types of permafrost—syngenetic and epigenetic. The age of syngenetic permafrost corresponds to the geological age of its sediments, whereas the age of epigenetic permafrost is less than the geological age of its sediments. Both of these formations preserve microorganisms and their metabolic products; however, the interpretations of the microbiological and molecular-biological data are inconsistent. This paper reviews the current knowledge of time–temperature history and age of permafrost in relation to available microbiological and metagenomic data.

中文翻译：

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永久冻土微生物和永久冻土一样古老吗？

摘要

多年冻土描述了当冰的温度连续保持在或低于0°C超过2年时，其被冰胶结的土壤物质（沙土，有机物等）的状况。显然，多年冻土的年龄与冻结地球物质所经过的时间一样长。多年冻土是一种独特的现象，可以保留它所包围的生命。因此，为了满怀信心地谈论永久冻土中的古物保存问题，必须掌握有关沉积物地质年龄（即何时形成沉积物）和永久冻土年龄（何时使这些沉积物永久冻结）的知识。多年冻土有两种类型：同生型和表生型。同生多年冻土的年龄与其沉积物的地质年龄相对应，而后生多年冻土的年龄小于其沉积物的地质年龄。这两种形式都可以保存微生物及其代谢产物。然而，微生物学和分子生物学数据的解释是不一致的。本文回顾了有关可用的微生物学和宏基因组学数据的时间-温度历史和多年冻土年龄的当前知识。