The researchers flocked when in 2015 a new and unknown island appeared in the Pacific Ocean, east of Fiji.
The new island, which rose above the surface of the sea after a volcanic eruption, became a rare and unique way for scientists to gain an insight into the formation of ecosystems.
Now scientists have revealed the startling discovery of a new life form on the island.
Sound the alarm
Unique bacteria
The Pacific island, called Hunga Tonga, was destroyed again in 2022 by another massive volcanic eruption, it writes Science alert.
Despite the island’s short lifespan, the researchers, ifA new study published in the journal Mbiohaving found unknown life forms that were able to convert sulfur and gases.
During the seven years the island existed, researchers managed to collect dozens of soil samples from different heights on the island.
Professor of microbial ecology at the University of Colorado, says the findings on the island were not what the researchers expected.
– We thought we would find organisms you find when a glacier retreats, says Nick Dragone, according to Science alert.
Instead, they found what he describes as a “unique group of bacteria” that can convert sulfur and other atmospheric gases.
From underground
The first life to appear on the island was plants, probably due to droppings from birds containing plant seeds. The researchers therefore focused on the areas that had not been planted.
There they found a group of microorganisms called archaea, which have their own line of development and which differ from other bacteria and organisms. That’s what the Danish journal writes science.
The researchers were particularly surprised by how the special microorganisms do not seem to come from seawater or bird droppings, but probably from deep underground, Dragone explains to Science Alert.
– One of the reasons why we think it is that they have the same properties found in volcanic eruptions, says Dragone, and refers to large amounts of sulfur and hydrogen sulphide gas.
