Biogeosciences
Biogeosciences
BG
Articles | Volume 21, issue 22
Articles | Volume 21, issue 22
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5305-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-5305-2024
© Author(s) 2024. This work is distributed under
the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Articles | Volume 21, issue 22
Research article
 | Highlight paper
 | 
27 Nov 2024
Research article | Highlight paper |  | 27 Nov 2024

Microbial response to deliquescence of nitrate-rich soils in the hyperarid Atacama Desert

Felix L. Arens, Alessandro Airo, Christof Sager, Hans-Peter Grossart, Kai Mangelsdorf, Rainer U. Meckenstock, Mark Pannekens, Philippe Schmitt-Kopplin, Jenny Uhl, Bernardita Valenzuela, Pedro Zamorano, Luca Zoccarato, and Dirk Schulze-Makuch

Related authors

Big data in Antarctic sciences – current status, gaps, and future perspectives
Angelika Graiff, Matthias Braun, Amelie Driemel, Jörg Ebbing, Hans-Peter Grossart, Tilmann Harder, Joseph I. Hoffman, Boris Koch, Florian Leese, Judith Piontek, Mirko Scheinert, Petra Quillfeldt, Jonas Zimmermann, and Ulf Karsten
Polarforschung, 91, 45–57, https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-45-2023,https://doi.org/10.5194/polf-91-45-2023, 2023
Short summary
Molecular biomarkers in Batagay megaslump permafrost deposits reveal clear differences in organic matter preservation between glacial and interglacial periods
Loeka L. Jongejans, Kai Mangelsdorf, Cornelia Karger, Thomas Opel, Sebastian Wetterich, Jérémy Courtin, Hanno Meyer, Alexander I. Kizyakov, Guido Grosse, Andrei G. Shepelev, Igor I. Syromyatnikov, Alexander N. Fedorov, and Jens Strauss
The Cryosphere, 16, 3601–3617, https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3601-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/tc-16-3601-2022, 2022
Short summary
Organic matter characteristics of a rapidly eroding permafrost cliff in NE Siberia (Lena Delta, Laptev Sea region)
Charlotte Haugk, Loeka L. Jongejans, Kai Mangelsdorf, Matthias Fuchs, Olga Ogneva, Juri Palmtag, Gesine Mollenhauer, Paul J. Mann, P. Paul Overduin, Guido Grosse, Tina Sanders, Robyn E. Tuerena, Lutz Schirrmeister, Sebastian Wetterich, Alexander Kizyakov, Cornelia Karger, and Jens Strauss
Biogeosciences, 19, 2079–2094, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2079-2022,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-19-2079-2022, 2022
Short summary
Relationships between low-temperature fires, climate and vegetation during three late glacials and interglacials of the last 430 kyr in northeastern Siberia reconstructed from monosaccharide anhydrides in Lake El'gygytgyn sediments
Elisabeth Dietze, Kai Mangelsdorf, Andrei Andreev, Cornelia Karger, Laura T. Schreuder, Ellen C. Hopmans, Oliver Rach, Dirk Sachse, Volker Wennrich, and Ulrike Herzschuh
Clim. Past, 16, 799–818, https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-799-2020,https://doi.org/10.5194/cp-16-799-2020, 2020
Short summary
Organic matter characteristics in yedoma and thermokarst deposits on Baldwin Peninsula, west Alaska
Loeka L. Jongejans, Jens Strauss, Josefine Lenz, Francien Peterse, Kai Mangelsdorf, Matthias Fuchs, and Guido Grosse
Biogeosciences, 15, 6033–6048, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6033-2018,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-6033-2018, 2018
Short summary
More articles (4)

Related subject area

Astrobiology and Exobiology: Extreme Environments, Brines & Hydrothermal
Biodiversity and trophic ecology of hydrothermal vent fauna associated with tubeworm assemblages on the Juan de Fuca Ridge
Yann Lelièvre, Jozée Sarrazin, Julien Marticorena, Gauthier Schaal, Thomas Day, Pierre Legendre, Stéphane Hourdez, and Marjolaine Matabos
Biogeosciences, 15, 2629–2647, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2629-2018,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-15-2629-2018, 2018
Short summary
Nitrification of archaeal ammonia oxidizers in a high- temperature hot spring
Shun Chen, Xiaotong Peng, Hengchao Xu, and Kaiwen Ta
Biogeosciences, 13, 2051–2060, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2051-2016,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-13-2051-2016, 2016
Short summary
Fluid chemistry of the low temperature hyperalkaline hydrothermal system of Prony Bay (New Caledonia)
C. Monnin, V. Chavagnac, C. Boulart, B. Ménez, M. Gérard, E. Gérard, C. Pisapia, M. Quéméneur, G. Erauso, A. Postec, L. Guentas-Dombrowski, C. Payri, and B. Pelletier
Biogeosciences, 11, 5687–5706, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5687-2014,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-11-5687-2014, 2014
Arctic gypsum endoliths: a biogeochemical characterization of a viable and active microbial community
L. A. Ziolkowski, N. C. S. Mykytczuk, C. R. Omelon, H. Johnson, L. G. Whyte, and G. F. Slater
Biogeosciences, 10, 7661–7675, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7661-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-7661-2013, 2013
Saturated CO2 inhibits microbial processes in CO2-vented deep-sea sediments
D. de Beer, M. Haeckel, J. Neumann, G. Wegener, F. Inagaki, and A. Boetius
Biogeosciences, 10, 5639–5649, https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5639-2013,https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-10-5639-2013, 2013
More articles (3)

Cited articles

Altschul, S. F., Madden, T. L., Schäffer, A. A., Zhang, J., Zhang, Z., Miller, W., and Lipman, D. J.: Gapped BLAST and PSI-BLAST: a new generation of protein database search programs, Nucleic Acids Res., 25, 3389–3402, 1997. 
Amundson, R., Dietrich, W., Bellugi, D., Ewing, S., Nishiizumi, K., Chong, G., Owen, J., Finkel, R., Heimsath, A., Stewart, B., and Caffee, M.: Geomorphologic evidence for the late Pliocene onset of hyperaridity in the Atacama Desert, Geol. Soc. Am. Bull., 124, 1048–1070, https://doi.org/10.1130/B30445.1, 2012. 
Ansari, F. A., Ali, S. N., and Mahmood, R.: Sodium nitrite-induced oxidative stress causes membrane damage, protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation and alters major metabolic pathways in human erythrocytes, Toxicol. Vitro, 29, 1878–1886, 2015. 
Araya, J. P., González, M., Cardinale, M., Schnell, S., and Stoll, A.: Microbiome dynamics associated with the Atacama flowering desert, Front. Microbiol., 10, 3160, https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2019.03160, 2020. 
Archer, D. G.: Thermodynamic properties of the NaNO3 + H2O system, J. Phys. Chem. Ref. Data, 29, 1141–1156, 2000. 
More articles (77)
Download
Co-editor-in-chief
This study, pertinent to astrobiology, utilizes the Atacama Desert as an analog for conditions on Mars. The findings indicate that nitrate-rich environments on Mars may preserve potential biosignatures and provide insights into the boundaries of life. This relationship supports the objectives of ongoing and upcoming Mars missions.
Read more
Short summary
We studied unique nitrate-rich soils in the hyperarid Atacama Desert that form brines at night under high relative humidity. Despite providing water for microorganisms, these soils exhibit extremely low microbial activity, indicating that the high nitrate levels inhibit microbial life. On the other hand, enriched organic matter indicates their potential preservation. This research helps to understand the limits of life in extreme environments and aids in the search for signs of life on Mars.
Read more
Altmetrics
Final-revised paper
Preprint