Endolithic microbial habitats as refuges for life in polyextreme environment of the Atacama Desert
| Autor: | Octavio Artieda, M. Cristina Casero, Jacek Wierzchos, Carmen Ascaso |
|---|---|
| Přispěvatelé: | Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (España) |
| Rok vydání: | 2018 |
| Předmět: |
0301 basic medicine
Microbiology (medical) Ultraviolet Rays Rain Microbial Consortia 030106 microbiology Biology Bacterial Physiological Phenomena Microbiology 03 medical and health sciences Microbial ecology Environmental Microbiology Ecosystem Chile Ultraviolet radiation Desert (philosophy) Phototroph Ecology Heterotrophic Processes Phototrophic Processes 030104 developmental biology Infectious Diseases Habitat Desert Climate |
| Popis: | The extremely harsh conditions of hyperarid deserts are a true challenge for microbial life. Microorganisms thriving in such polyextreme environments are fascinating as they can tell us more about life, its strategies and its boundaries than other groups of organisms. The Atacama Desert (North Chile) holds two world records of extreme environmental characteristics: the lowest rainfall and greatest surface ultraviolet radiation and total solar irradiance ever measured on Earth. Despite these limiting conditions for life, we recently identified several remarkable examples of endolithic habitats colonized by phototrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms in the hyperarid core of the Atacama Desert. This work was supported by a grant CGL2013-42509P for all authors from MINECO, Spain. |
| Databáze: | OpenAIRE |
| Externí odkaz: |
|