Biology
Scientific paper
May 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007asbio...7..275g&link_type=abstract
Astrobiology, Volume 7, Issue 2, pp. 275-311.
Biology
16
Antarctica, Permafrost, Viable Microorganisms, Ancient Ecosystem, Extraterrestrial Model
Scientific paper
Antarctic permafrost soils have not received as much geocryological and biological study as has been devoted to the ice sheet, though the permafrost is more stable and older and inhabited by more microbes. This makes these soils potentially more informative and a more significant microbial repository than ice sheets. Due to the stability of the subsurface physicochemical regime, Antarctic permafrost is not an extreme environment but a balanced natural one. Up to 104 viable cells/g, whose age presumably corresponds to the longevity of the permanently frozen state of the sediments, have been isolated from Antarctic permafrost. Along with the microbes, metabolic by-products are preserved. This presumed natural cryopreservation makes it possible to observe what may be the oldest microbial communities on Earth. Here, we describe the Antarctic permafrost habitat and biodiversity and provide a model for martian ecosystems.
Chanton Jeffrey P.
Erokhina L. G.
Friedmann Imre E.
Fyodorov-Davydov D. G.
Gilichinsky David A.
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