Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats
Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth are commonly viewed as agents of ecosystem destruction, be it on local or global scales. However, for some microbial communities, impacts may represent an opportunity for habitat formation as some substrates are rendered more suitable for colonization when process...
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Online Access: | http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/13212/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x/pdf |
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ftnerc:oai:nora.nerc.ac.uk:13212 2023-05-15T13:45:11+02:00 Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats Cockell, Charles S. Lee, Pascal Osinski, Gordon Horneck, Gerda Broady, Paul 2002 http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/13212/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x/pdf unknown Meteoritical Society Cockell, Charles S.; Lee, Pascal; Osinski, Gordon; Horneck, Gerda; Broady, Paul. 2002 Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 37 (10). 1287-1298. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x> Biology and Microbiology Ecology and Environment Earth Sciences Publication - Article PeerReviewed 2002 ftnerc https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x 2023-02-04T19:28:30Z Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth are commonly viewed as agents of ecosystem destruction, be it on local or global scales. However, for some microbial communities, impacts may represent an opportunity for habitat formation as some substrates are rendered more suitable for colonization when processed by impacts. We describe how heavily shocked gneissic crystalline basement rocks exposed at the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Arctic Canada, are hosts to endolithic photosynthetic microorganisms in significantly greater abundance than lesser-shocked or unshocked gneisses. Two factors contribute to this enhancement: (a) increased porosity due to impact fracturing and differential mineral vaporization, and (b) increased translucence due to the selective vaporization of opaque mineral phases. Using biological ultraviolet radiation dosimetry, and by measuring the concentrations of photoprotective compounds, we demonstrate that a covering of 0.8 mm of shocked gneiss can provide substantial protection from ultraviolet radiation, reducing the inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores by 2 orders of magnitude. The colonisation of the shocked habitat represents a potential mechanism for pioneer microorganisms to invade an impact structure in the earliest stages of post-impact primary succession. The communities are analogous to the endolithic communities associated with sedimentary rocks in Antarctica, but because they occur in shocked crystalline rocks, they illustrate a mechanism for the creation of microbial habitats on planetary surfaces that do not have exposed sedimentary units. This might have been the case on early Earth. The data have implications for the microhabitats in which biological signatures might be sought on Mars. Article in Journal/Newspaper Antarc* Antarctica Arctic Devon Island Nunavut Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive Arctic Canada Devon Island ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) Nunavut Meteoritics & Planetary Science 37 10 1287 1298 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Natural Environment Research Council: NERC Open Research Archive |
op_collection_id |
ftnerc |
language |
unknown |
topic |
Biology and Microbiology Ecology and Environment Earth Sciences |
spellingShingle |
Biology and Microbiology Ecology and Environment Earth Sciences Cockell, Charles S. Lee, Pascal Osinski, Gordon Horneck, Gerda Broady, Paul Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats |
topic_facet |
Biology and Microbiology Ecology and Environment Earth Sciences |
description |
Asteroid and comet impacts on Earth are commonly viewed as agents of ecosystem destruction, be it on local or global scales. However, for some microbial communities, impacts may represent an opportunity for habitat formation as some substrates are rendered more suitable for colonization when processed by impacts. We describe how heavily shocked gneissic crystalline basement rocks exposed at the Haughton impact structure, Devon Island, Nunavut, Arctic Canada, are hosts to endolithic photosynthetic microorganisms in significantly greater abundance than lesser-shocked or unshocked gneisses. Two factors contribute to this enhancement: (a) increased porosity due to impact fracturing and differential mineral vaporization, and (b) increased translucence due to the selective vaporization of opaque mineral phases. Using biological ultraviolet radiation dosimetry, and by measuring the concentrations of photoprotective compounds, we demonstrate that a covering of 0.8 mm of shocked gneiss can provide substantial protection from ultraviolet radiation, reducing the inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores by 2 orders of magnitude. The colonisation of the shocked habitat represents a potential mechanism for pioneer microorganisms to invade an impact structure in the earliest stages of post-impact primary succession. The communities are analogous to the endolithic communities associated with sedimentary rocks in Antarctica, but because they occur in shocked crystalline rocks, they illustrate a mechanism for the creation of microbial habitats on planetary surfaces that do not have exposed sedimentary units. This might have been the case on early Earth. The data have implications for the microhabitats in which biological signatures might be sought on Mars. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Cockell, Charles S. Lee, Pascal Osinski, Gordon Horneck, Gerda Broady, Paul |
author_facet |
Cockell, Charles S. Lee, Pascal Osinski, Gordon Horneck, Gerda Broady, Paul |
author_sort |
Cockell, Charles S. |
title |
Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats |
title_short |
Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats |
title_full |
Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats |
title_fullStr |
Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats |
title_full_unstemmed |
Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats |
title_sort |
impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats |
publisher |
Meteoritical Society |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
http://nora.nerc.ac.uk/id/eprint/13212/ http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x/pdf |
long_lat |
ENVELOPE(-88.000,-88.000,75.252,75.252) |
geographic |
Arctic Canada Devon Island Nunavut |
geographic_facet |
Arctic Canada Devon Island Nunavut |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctica Arctic Devon Island Nunavut |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctica Arctic Devon Island Nunavut |
op_relation |
Cockell, Charles S.; Lee, Pascal; Osinski, Gordon; Horneck, Gerda; Broady, Paul. 2002 Impact-induced microbial endolithic habitats. Meteoritics and Planetary Science, 37 (10). 1287-1298. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x <https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x> |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1945-5100.2002.tb01029.x |
container_title |
Meteoritics & Planetary Science |
container_volume |
37 |
container_issue |
10 |
container_start_page |
1287 |
op_container_end_page |
1298 |
_version_ |
1766215409118216192 |