Eukaryotic Community Structure from Río Tinto (SW, Spain), a Highly Acidic River

Photochemical performance of the acidophilic red alga Cyanidium sp. in a pH gradient

The acidophilic red alga Cyanidium sp. is one of the dominant mat-forming species in the highly acidic waters of Río Tinto, Spain. The culture of Cyanidium sp., isolated from a microbial mat sample collected at Río Tinto, was exposed to 9 different pH conditions in a gradient from 0.5 to 5 for 24 h and its physiological status evaluated by variable chlorophyll a fluorescence kinetics measurements. Maximum quantum yield was determined after 30 min, 1 h, 2 h, 4 h, 6 h and 24 h of exposure after 15 min dark adaptation. The effect of pH on photochemical activity of Cyanidium sp. was observable as early as 30 min after exposure and the pattern remained stable or with only minor modifications for 24 h. The optimum pH ranged from 1.5 to 2.5. A steep decrease of the photochemical activity was observed at pH below 1 even after 30 min of exposure. Although the alga had tolerated the exposure to pH = 1 for at least 6 h, longer (24 h) exposure resulted in reduction of the photochemical activity. At pH above 2.5, the decline was more moderate and its negative effect on photochemistry was less severe. According to the fluorescence measurements, the red alga Cyanidium sp. is well-adapted to prevailing pH at its original locality at Río Tinto, i.e. pH of 1 to 3. The short-term survival in pH < 1.5 may be adaptation to rare exposures to such low pH in the field. The tolerance of pH above 3 could be caused by adaptation to the microenvironment of the inner parts of microbial mats in which Cyanidium sp. usually dominates and where higher pH could occur due to photosynthetic oxygen production.

Astrobiology through the ages of Mars: the study of terrestrial analogues to understand the habitability of Mars

Mars has undergone three main climatic stages throughout its geological history, beginning with a water-rich epoch, followed by a cold and semi-arid era, and transitioning into present-day arid and very cold desert conditions. These global climatic eras also represent three different stages of planetary habitability: an early, potentially habitable stage when the basic requisites for life as we know it were present (liquid water and energy); an intermediate extreme stage, when liquid solutions became scarce or very challenging for life; and the most recent stage during which conditions on the surface have been largely uninhabitable, except perhaps in some isolated niches. Our understanding of the evolution of Mars is now sufficient to assign specific terrestrial environments to each of these periods. Through the study of Mars terrestrial analogues, we have assessed and constrained the habitability conditions for each of these stages, the geochemistry of the surface, and the likelihood for the preservation of organic and inorganic biosignatures. The study of these analog environments provides important information to better understand past and current mission results as well as to support the design and selection of instruments and the planning for future exploratory missions to Mars.