Methanogenic Archaea Can Produce Methane in Deliquescence-Driven Mars Analog Environments

dc.contributor.authorMaus, Deborah
dc.contributor.authorHeinz, Jacob
dc.contributor.authorSchirmack, Janosch
dc.contributor.authorAiro, Alessandro
dc.contributor.authorKounaves, Samuel P.
dc.contributor.authorWagner, Dirk
dc.contributor.authorSchulze-Makuch, Dirk
dc.date.accessioned2020-02-17T10:02:03Z
dc.date.available2020-02-17T10:02:03Z
dc.date.issued2020-01-08
dc.description.abstractThe current understanding of the Martian surface indicates that briny environments at the near-surface are temporarily possible, e.g. in the case of the presumably deliquescence-driven Recurring Slope Lineae (RSL). However, whether such dynamic environments are habitable for terrestrial organisms remains poorly understood. This hypothesis was tested by developing a Closed Deliquescence System (CDS) consisting of a mixture of desiccated Martian Regolith Analog (MRA) substrate, salts, and microbial cells, which over the course of days became wetted through deliquescence. The methane produced via metabolic activity for three methanogenic archaea: Methanosarcina mazei, M. barkeri and M. soligelidi, was measured after exposing them to three different MRA substrates using either NaCl or NaClO4 as a hygroscopic salt. Our experiments showed that (1) M. soligelidi rapidly produced methane at 4 °C, (2) M. barkeri produced methane at 28 °C though not at 4 °C, (3) M. mazei was not metabolically reactivated through deliquescence, (4) none of the species produced methane in the presence of perchlorate, and (5) all species were metabolically most active in the phyllosilicate-containing MRA. These results emphasize the importance of the substrate, microbial species, salt, and temperature used in the experiments. Furthermore, we show here for the first time that water provided by deliquescence alone is sufficient to rehydrate methanogenic archaea and to reactivate their metabolism under conditions roughly analogous to the near-subsurface Martian environment.en
dc.description.sponsorshipERC/FP7/339231/EU/Habitability of Martian Environments: Exploring the Physiological and Environmental Limits of Life/HOMEen
dc.description.sponsorshipTU Berlin, Open-Access-Mittel - 2019en
dc.identifier.eissn2045-2322
dc.identifier.urihttps://depositonce.tu-berlin.de/handle/11303/10786
dc.identifier.urihttp://dx.doi.org/10.14279/depositonce-9682
dc.language.isoenen
dc.rights.urihttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/en
dc.subject.ddc500 Naturwissenschaftende
dc.subject.ddc600 Technik, Technologiede
dc.subject.otherMartian Regolith Analogen
dc.subject.otherMRAen
dc.subject.othermethanogenic archaeaen
dc.subject.othermethaneen
dc.subject.otherin vitroen
dc.subject.otherClosed Deliquescence Systemen
dc.subject.otherCDSen
dc.titleMethanogenic Archaea Can Produce Methane in Deliquescence-Driven Mars Analog Environmentsen
dc.typeArticleen
dc.type.versionpublishedVersionen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.articlenumber6en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.doi10.1038/s41598-019-56267-4en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.issue1en
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.journaltitleScientific Reportsen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublishernameSpringer Natureen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.originalpublisherplaceLondonen
dcterms.bibliographicCitation.volume10en
tub.accessrights.dnbfreeen
tub.affiliationFak. 2 Mathematik und Naturwissenschaften::Zentrum für Astronomie und Astrophysikde
tub.affiliation.facultyFak. 2 Mathematik und Naturwissenschaftende
tub.affiliation.instituteZentrum für Astronomie und Astrophysikde
tub.publisher.universityorinstitutionTechnische Universität Berlinen

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