2005 Annual Science Report
Astrobiology Roadmap Objective 5.2 Reports Reporting | JUL 2004 – JUN 2005
Roadmap Objective 5.2—Co-evolution of microbial communities
Project Reports
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Subsurface Biospheres
Members of our team at UNC Chapel Hill focus on molecular studies of deep subsurface communities
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 4.1 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Examinations of the Microbial Diversity Found in Ice Cores
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 -
Biosignatures in Chemosynthetic and Photosynthetic Systems
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 4.1 5.1 5.2 6.1 7.1 7.2 -
Genome Evolution and Innovation
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.2 -
Planetary Biology, Evolution and Intelligence
Chris Chyba, Cynthia Phillips, Kevin Hand- The project has two components. The first, an overview of the astrobiological potential of various geological features on Europa, is proceeding well — we are continuing study of various proposed formation mechanisms for different features types such as ridges, bands, and chaotic terrain. The second, a search for current geological activity by comparing Galileo images taken on different orbits, is also in progress. We have performed a first-stage search of the Galileo Europa images to find overlapping images, and are currently working on an automated search method to make sure that we find all possible comparison images. We are also working on automated processing techniques.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Lava Tube Microbiology
The extreme nature of the surface environments on Mars appear to exclude extant biological habitation.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 6.2 -
Molecular Survey of Microbial Diversity in Hypersaline Ecosystems
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.4 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.2 -
Microbial Diversity and Population Structure Studies in the Rio Tinto
Our population studies in the Rio Tinto focus on three stations located in the more extreme headwaters of the river: the Origin (OR), Anabel’s Garden (AG) and Berrocal (BE) (Fig. 1). For each station we sampled three different sites with three-fold replication during the wet and dry seasons.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.3 5.1 5.2 -
Microbial and Biogeochemical Characterization of a Terrestrial Analogue Site for Mars.
Vertical and horizontal excavations at the Lupin gold mine in northern Canada allow access to a 500-meter thick permafrost/rock environment overlying a methane-bearing brine/rock environment.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 -
Iron and Sulfur-Based Biospheres and Their Biosignatures
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 7.2 -
Synergism, Evolution, and Functional Ecogenomics of Deep-Subsurface Microbial Communities Based on Molecular Analyses
Samples for genome analysis were collected at a depth of about 8,000 ft below the surface from a South African gold mine in the Witwatersrand Basin.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 -
Relationship Between Hydrogeology and Microbiology at Active Springs
This project examines relationship between hydrological and biological diversity within a mesophilic, sufide-rich spring system
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 2.1 5.2 7.2 -
Indigenous Bacteria of Arctic and Antarctic Permafrost
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.2 -
Re-Tracing Steps Towards a Habitable World: The Biogeochemical Evolution of Sulfur on the Early Earth.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 3.1 4.1 4.2 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.1 -
Radiolysis as a Source of Chemical Energy for Microbial Metabolism in the Deep Subsurface
Radiolysis of water can accelerate water/rock interaction through production of radicals (e.g., hydrogen, hydroperoxyl, hydroxyl), ions (e.g., superoxide, protons, hydroxide), and reactive molecules (e.g., hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide, oxygen)
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.3 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 7.2 -
Origin of Multicellularity and Complex Land-Based Ecosystem
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.2 -
Darwinian Chemistry
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 2.1 2.2 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 4.1 4.2 4.3 5.2 5.3 6.1 6.2 7.1 -
Genome-Genome Integration: Symbiosis, Genetic Assimilation, and Evolutionary Innovation
This project aims to elucidate genetic changes that catalyze the establishment and diversification of genome-genome interactions.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.4 4.2 5.2 6.2 -
Microbial Mat Communities
Our primary research objective is to better understand the origins and adaptive radiation of an ancient and biogeochemically significant assemblage of microorganisms, the sulfate-reducing prokaryotes (SRP).
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 -
From Stars to Genes: Addition to Extrasolar Planetary Systems
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 1.2 2.1 2.2 4.2 4.3 5.1 5.2 -
Analysis of Fine Scale Genetic Divergence in Oceanic Microbial Communities
The marine environment comprises the largest contiguous “surface” habitat on Earth, but it is far from a continuous, homogenous environment.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 -
Geochemical Processes and Biosignatures (House)
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 4.1 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1 -
Evolution of Biocomplexity From an Ancient Autotrophic Lineage
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 3.2 3.3 4.2 5.1 5.2 5.3 -
Lee Kump
This year we published a paper in Geology which proposed that episodic release of hydrogen sulfide (H2S ) from the ocean caused the end-Permian mass extinction. Moreover, we suggested that the underlying environmental driver, euxinic deep waters (enriched in H2S), may have been the norm during a billion years of Earth history (from 1.8 Ga to 0.8 Ga), and that H2S eruptions may have delayed colonization of the land surface
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 1.1 4.1 4.3 5.2 6.1 -
Serpentinization, Abiogenic Methane, and Extremophilic Archaea Within the Seafloor
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.2 5.3 -
Integrated Characterization of Microbial Communities Associated With Aquatic Redox Gradients
Our investigations of oxic-anoxic transitions are focused on understanding the synergy between geochemical processes and microbial community and metabolic diversity. These studies not only further our understanding of geochemical cycles that have shaped the evolution of Earth but also have the potential to contribute to flight-related missions through the development of in situ measurement technologies.
ROADMAP OBJECTIVES: 5.1 5.2 5.3 6.1