The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiology
The grit crust is a recently discovered, novel type of biocrust made of prokaryotic cyanobacteria, eukaryotic green algae, fungi, lichens and other microbes that grow around and within granitoid stone pebbles of about 6 mm diameter in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert, Chile. The microbial com...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2022-11-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.1052278/full |
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| author | Patrick Jung Lukas W. Lehnert Jörg Bendix Guillaume Lentendu Martin Grube Fernando D. Alfaro Camilo del Rio José Luis Gutiérrez Alvarado Liesbeth van den Brink Michael Lakatos |
| author_facet | Patrick Jung Lukas W. Lehnert Jörg Bendix Guillaume Lentendu Martin Grube Fernando D. Alfaro Camilo del Rio José Luis Gutiérrez Alvarado Liesbeth van den Brink Michael Lakatos |
| author_sort | Patrick Jung |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The grit crust is a recently discovered, novel type of biocrust made of prokaryotic cyanobacteria, eukaryotic green algae, fungi, lichens and other microbes that grow around and within granitoid stone pebbles of about 6 mm diameter in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert, Chile. The microbial community is very well adapted towards the extreme conditions of the Atacama Desert, such as the highest irradiation of the planet, strong temperature amplitudes and steep wet-dry cycles. It also has several other striking features making this biocrust unique compared to biocrusts known from other arid biomes on Earth. It has already been shown that the grit crust mediates various bio-weathering activities in its natural habitat. These activities prime soil for higher organisms in a way that can be envisioned as a proxy for general processes shaping even extra-terrestrial landscapes. This mini-review highlights the potential of the grit crust as a model for astrobiology in terms of extra-terrestrial microbial colonization and biotechnological applications that support human colonization of planets. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:13:38Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f68d01a6d61946eb92823cb639cb7bff |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2296-987X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T21:13:38Z |
| publishDate | 2022-11-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences |
| spelling | doaj.art-f68d01a6d61946eb92823cb639cb7bff2022-12-22T02:29:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences2296-987X2022-11-01910.3389/fspas.2022.10522781052278The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiologyPatrick Jung0Lukas W. Lehnert1Jörg Bendix2Guillaume Lentendu3Martin Grube4Fernando D. Alfaro5Camilo del Rio6José Luis Gutiérrez Alvarado7Liesbeth van den Brink8Michael Lakatos9Integrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern, GermanyDepartment of Geography, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, GermanyFaculty of Geography, Laboratory for Climatology and Remote Sensing, Philipps-University of Marburg, Marburg, GermanyInstitute of Biology, Laboratory of Soil Biodiversity, University of Neuchâtel, Neuchâtel, SwitzerlandInstitute of Biology, University of Graz, Graz, AustriaGEMA Center for Genomics, Ecology & Environment, Universidad Mayor, Santiago, ChileInstituto de Geografía & Centro UC Desierto de Atacama, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, ChileCorporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF), Santiago, ChilePlant Ecology Group University of Tübingen, Tübingen, GermanyIntegrative Biotechnology, University of Applied Sciences, Kaiserslautern, GermanyThe grit crust is a recently discovered, novel type of biocrust made of prokaryotic cyanobacteria, eukaryotic green algae, fungi, lichens and other microbes that grow around and within granitoid stone pebbles of about 6 mm diameter in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert, Chile. The microbial community is very well adapted towards the extreme conditions of the Atacama Desert, such as the highest irradiation of the planet, strong temperature amplitudes and steep wet-dry cycles. It also has several other striking features making this biocrust unique compared to biocrusts known from other arid biomes on Earth. It has already been shown that the grit crust mediates various bio-weathering activities in its natural habitat. These activities prime soil for higher organisms in a way that can be envisioned as a proxy for general processes shaping even extra-terrestrial landscapes. This mini-review highlights the potential of the grit crust as a model for astrobiology in terms of extra-terrestrial microbial colonization and biotechnological applications that support human colonization of planets.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.1052278/fullgrit crustastrobiologyAtacamaMarscyanobacterialichens |
| spellingShingle | Patrick Jung Lukas W. Lehnert Jörg Bendix Guillaume Lentendu Martin Grube Fernando D. Alfaro Camilo del Rio José Luis Gutiérrez Alvarado Liesbeth van den Brink Michael Lakatos The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiology Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences grit crust astrobiology Atacama Mars cyanobacteria lichens |
| title | The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiology |
| title_full | The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiology |
| title_fullStr | The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiology |
| title_full_unstemmed | The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiology |
| title_short | The grit crust: A poly-extremotolerant microbial community from the Atacama Desert as a model for astrobiology |
| title_sort | grit crust a poly extremotolerant microbial community from the atacama desert as a model for astrobiology |
| topic | grit crust astrobiology Atacama Mars cyanobacteria lichens |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fspas.2022.1052278/full |
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