Mathematics – Logic
Scientific paper
Aug 2007
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2007epsc.conf..908g&link_type=abstract
European Planetary Science Congress 2007, Proceedings of a conference held 20-24 August, 2007 in Potsdam, Germany. Online at ht
Mathematics
Logic
Scientific paper
Extreme ecosystems have recently attracted considerable interest, not only because they prove that life is robust and adaptable, but also because their existence increases the probability of finding life elsewhere in the universe. Most of the best characterized extreme habitats on Earth correspond to geophysical constraints to which opportunistic microorganisms have adapted. However, some extreme acidic environments are unique in that they are the product of biological activity (chemolithotrophy). The Tinto River (Huelva, Southwestern Spain) is an unusual acidic ecosystem (100 km long, mean pH of 2.3) containing a high concentration of heavy metals and an unexpected level of microbial diversity (1,2). In the past, the extreme conditions of the river were considered the result of intense mining activity. The geomicrobiological analysis of the Tinto ecosystem strongly suggests that these conditions are the result of the metabolic activity of chemolithotrophic prokaryotes, mainly iron-oxidizers (3). The system seems to be controlled by iron, which is not only used as an electron donor, but also as an electron acceptor, allowing a full iron cycle to operate. Furthermore, ferric iron is responsible for the maintenance of the constant pH of the ecosystem and can protect the different organisms thriving in its waters from radiation. Laminar, iron-rich stromatolitic formations are generated by the precipitation of different iron minerals on the surface of the biofilms that cover most of the rocks in the river and the riverbed. These structures are similar to ancient massive bioinduced laminated iron bioformations formed long before the first mining activities started in the area 5000 years ago. The existence of these ancient iron-rich deposits formed prior to any known mining activity, under hydrochemical conditions similar to modern deposits, is considered a strong argument in favor of a natural origin of the river (4,5). Recently, the source area of the Tinto ecosystem has been used like an environmental scenario for new technology validation for astrobiology space missions. M.A.R.T.E. (Mars Analog Research Technology Experiment) was a multidisciplinary project for technology development in the NAI framework. REFERENCES 1.- López-Archilla, A.I., Marín, I., Amils, R. (2001) Microbial Ecol., 41: 20-35. 2.- Amaral-Zettler, L.A., Gómez, F., Zettler, E., Keenan, B.G., Amils, R., Sogin, M. (2002) Nature, 417: 137. 3.- González-Toril, E., Gómez, F., Rodríguez, N., Fernández-Remolar, D., Zuluaga, J., Marín, I., Amils, R., (2002) Hydrometall., in press. 4.- Amils, R., González-Toril, E., Gómez, F., Fernández-Remolar, D., Rodríguez, N. (2000) Spring Meeting American Geophysical Society, Abstract B22B-05. 5.- Fernández-Remolar, D.C., Rodríguez, N., Gómez, F., Amils, R. (2003) J. Geophys. Res., 108, No.E7 doi. 10.1029/2002JE001918
Amils A.
Gomez Facundo
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