PuSH - Publication Server of Helmholtz Zentrum München

Schulze-Makuch, D.* ; Wagner, D.* ; Kounaves, S.P.* ; Mangelsdorf, K.* ; Devine, K.G.* ; de Vera, J.P.* ; Schmitt-Kopplin, P. ; Grossart, H.P.* ; Parro, V.* ; Kaupenjohann, M.* ; Galy, A.* ; Schneider, B.* ; Airo, A.* ; Frösler, J.* ; Davila, A.F.* ; Arens, F.L.* ; Cáceres, L.* ; Cornejo, F.S.* ; Carrizo, D.* ; Dartnell, L.* ; DiRuggiero, J.* ; Flury, M.* ; Ganzert, L.* ; Gessner, M.O.* ; Grathwohl, P.* ; Guan, L. ; Heinz, J.* ; Hess, M.* ; Keppler, F.* ; Maus, D.* ; McKay, C.P.* ; Meckenstock, R.U.* ; Montgomery, W.* ; Oberlin, E.A.* ; Probst, A.J.* ; Sáenz, J.S. ; Sattler, T.* ; Schirmack, J.* ; Sephton, M.A.* ; Schloter, M. ; Uhl, J. ; Valenzuela, B.* ; Vestergaard, G. ; Wörmer, L.* ; Zamorano, P.*

Transitory microbial habitat in the hyperarid Atacama Desert.

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 115, 2670-2675 (2018)
Publ. Version/Full Text DOI PMC
Open Access Gold (Paid Option)
Creative Commons Lizenzvertrag
Traces of life are nearly ubiquitous on Earth. However, a central unresolved question is whether these traces always indicate an active microbial community or whether, in extreme environments, such as hyperarid deserts, they instead reflect just dormant or dead cells. Although microbial biomass and diversity decrease with increasing aridity in the Atacama Desert, we provide multiple lines of evidence for the presence of an at times metabolically active, microbial community in one of the driest places on Earth. We base this observation on four major lines of evidence: (i) a physico-chemical characterization of the soil habitability after an exceptional rain event, (ii) identified biomolecules indicative of potentially active cells [e.g., presence of ATP, phospholipid fatty acids (PLFAs), metabolites, and enzymatic activity], (iii) measurements of in situ replication rates of genomes of uncultivated bacteria reconstructed from selected samples, and (iv) microbial community patterns specific to soil parameters and depths. We infer that the microbial populations have undergone selection and adaptation in response to their specific soil microenvironment and in particular to the degree of aridity. Collectively, our results highlight that even the hyperarid Atacama Desert can provide a habitable environment for microorganisms that allows them to become metabolically active following an episodic increase in moisture and that once it decreases, so does the activity of the microbiota. These results have implications for the prospect of life on other planets such as Mars, which has transitioned from an earlier wetter environment to today's extreme hyperaridity.
Altmetric
Additional Metrics?
[➜Log in]
Edit extra informations Login
Publication type Article: Journal article
Document type Scientific Article
Corresponding Author
Keywords Habitat ; Aridity ; Microbial Activity ; Biomarker ; Mars; Mars; Soil; Life; Diversity; Dna; Communities; Environment; Viruses; Surface; Sample
ISSN (print) / ISBN 0027-8424
e-ISSN 1091-6490
Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
Quellenangaben Volume: 115, Issue: 11, Pages: 2670-2675 Article Number: , Supplement: ,
Publisher National Academy of Sciences
Publishing Place Washington
Non-patent literature Publications
Reviewing status Peer reviewed
Institute(s) Research Unit BioGeoChemistry and Analytics (BGC)
Research Unit Comparative Microbiome Analysis (COMI)