Snow as a habitat for microorganisms
There are three major habitats involving ice and snow, and the microorganisms studied from these habitats are most eukaryotic. Sea ice is inhabited by algae called diatoms, glacial ice has sparse populations of green algai cal desmids, and the temporary and permanent snows in mountainous regions and...
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ftnasantrs:oai:casi.ntrs.nasa.gov:19890016983 2023-05-15T18:18:29+02:00 Snow as a habitat for microorganisms Hoham, Ronald W. Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available Mar 1, 1989 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19890016983 unknown Document ID: 19890016983 Accession ID: 89N26354 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19890016983 No Copyright CASI LIFE SCIENCES (GENERAL) NASA, Ames Research Center, Exobiology and Future Mars Missions; p 32-33 1989 ftnasantrs 2015-03-15T05:55:13Z There are three major habitats involving ice and snow, and the microorganisms studied from these habitats are most eukaryotic. Sea ice is inhabited by algae called diatoms, glacial ice has sparse populations of green algai cal desmids, and the temporary and permanent snows in mountainous regions and high latitudes are inhabited mostly by green algal flagellates. The life cycle of green algal flagellates is summarized by discussing the effects of light, temperature, nutrients, and snow melts. Specific examples of optimal conditions and environmental effects for various snow algae are given. It is not likely that the eukaryotic snow algae presented are candidated for life on the planet Mars. Evolutionally, eukaryotic cells as know on Earth may not have had the opportunity to develop on Mars (if life evolved at all on Mars) since eukaryotes did not appear on Earth until almost two billion years after the first prokaryotic organisms. However, the snow/ice ecosystems on Earth present themselves as extreme habitats were there is evidence of prokaryotic life (eubacteria and cyanbacteria) of which literally nothing is known. Any future surveillances of extant and/or extinct life on Mars should include probes (if not landing sites) to investigate sites of concentrations of ice water. The possibility of signs of life in Martian polar regions should not be overlooked. Other/Unknown Material Sea ice NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
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NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS) |
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ftnasantrs |
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LIFE SCIENCES (GENERAL) |
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LIFE SCIENCES (GENERAL) Hoham, Ronald W. Snow as a habitat for microorganisms |
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LIFE SCIENCES (GENERAL) |
description |
There are three major habitats involving ice and snow, and the microorganisms studied from these habitats are most eukaryotic. Sea ice is inhabited by algae called diatoms, glacial ice has sparse populations of green algai cal desmids, and the temporary and permanent snows in mountainous regions and high latitudes are inhabited mostly by green algal flagellates. The life cycle of green algal flagellates is summarized by discussing the effects of light, temperature, nutrients, and snow melts. Specific examples of optimal conditions and environmental effects for various snow algae are given. It is not likely that the eukaryotic snow algae presented are candidated for life on the planet Mars. Evolutionally, eukaryotic cells as know on Earth may not have had the opportunity to develop on Mars (if life evolved at all on Mars) since eukaryotes did not appear on Earth until almost two billion years after the first prokaryotic organisms. However, the snow/ice ecosystems on Earth present themselves as extreme habitats were there is evidence of prokaryotic life (eubacteria and cyanbacteria) of which literally nothing is known. Any future surveillances of extant and/or extinct life on Mars should include probes (if not landing sites) to investigate sites of concentrations of ice water. The possibility of signs of life in Martian polar regions should not be overlooked. |
format |
Other/Unknown Material |
author |
Hoham, Ronald W. |
author_facet |
Hoham, Ronald W. |
author_sort |
Hoham, Ronald W. |
title |
Snow as a habitat for microorganisms |
title_short |
Snow as a habitat for microorganisms |
title_full |
Snow as a habitat for microorganisms |
title_fullStr |
Snow as a habitat for microorganisms |
title_full_unstemmed |
Snow as a habitat for microorganisms |
title_sort |
snow as a habitat for microorganisms |
publishDate |
1989 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19890016983 |
op_coverage |
Unclassified, Unlimited, Publicly available |
genre |
Sea ice |
genre_facet |
Sea ice |
op_source |
CASI |
op_relation |
Document ID: 19890016983 Accession ID: 89N26354 http://hdl.handle.net/2060/19890016983 |
op_rights |
No Copyright |
_version_ |
1766195061846966272 |