The hydrothermal crater lake of the Poás volcano in Costa Rica is one of the most hostile habitats on the planet.” One of our essential findings is that, within this severe volcanic lake, we found just a few types of microbes, yet a possible plethora of methods for them to survive,” says first author Justin Wang, a graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder, in the United States. At that time, the researchers found that there was just one microbial species coming from the Acidiphilium genus in the Poás volcanic lake.” We expected a lot of the genes that we found, but we didnt expect this lots of provided the lakes low biodiversity,” says Wang. It makes sense that this is how life would adjust to living in an active volcanic crater lake.”
Through DNA sequencing of the organisms in the lake samples, the team verified that the germs had a variety of biochemical capabilities to potentially help them tolerate vibrant and severe conditions. These consisted of pathways to create energy utilizing sulfur, iron, arsenic, carbon fixation (like plants), both complicated and easy sugars and bioplastic granules (which microbes can create and utilize as energy and carbon reserves throughout stress or starvation).
Fieldwork at Lagune Caliente lake in Poás volcanic lake, Costa Rica. Credit: Justin Wang
” We expected a lot of the genes that we found, but we didnt anticipate this numerous provided the lakes low biodiversity,” says Wang. “This was quite a surprise, however it is definitely elegant. It makes sense that this is how life would adjust to living in an active volcanic crater lake.”
Regardless of the usually deadly surroundings, hydrothermal systems offer many of the essential ingredients for the advancement of life, consisting of water, energy and heat. This is why leading theories for both Earth and Mars focus on these locations. So far, previous efforts in search of life on Mars have focused on streambeds or river deltas, but the authors recommend that more attention must be offered to the sites of past warm springs (which existed on Mars for billions of years).
” Our research study supplies a framework for how Earth life could have existed in hydrothermal environments on Mars,” explains Wang. “But whether life ever existed on Mars and whether it looks like the microorganisms we have here is still a big question. We hope that our research guides the discussion to focus on looking for signs of life in these environments, for example there are some excellent targets on the crater rim of Jezero Crater, which is where the Perseverance rover is right now.”.
Recommendation: “Microbial Survival in an Extreme Martian Analog Ecosystem: Poás Volcano, Costa Rica” by Justin L. Wang, Nicholas B. Dragone, Geoffroy Avard and Brian M. Hynek, 28 January 2022, Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences.DOI: 10.3389/ fspas.2022.817900.
The exceptionally harsh Laguna Caliente lake in the crater of the Poás volcano, Costa Rica. Credit: Justin Wang
Lake is controlled by bacteria from a single extremophile genus.
The hydrothermal crater lake of the Poás volcano in Costa Rica is one of the most hostile habitats on the planet.” One of our crucial findings is that, within this severe volcanic lake, we detected just a few types of microbes, yet a possible wide variety of methods for them to survive,” states first author Justin Wang, a graduate student at the University of Colorado Boulder, in the United States. “We believe they do this by making it through on the fringes of the lake when eruptions are occurring.
The crater and its exceptionally extreme lake, Laguna Caliente, dominated by a single genus of extremophile Acidiphilium bacteria. Credit: Justin Wang
This current interdisciplinary partnership acts on prior work from 2013. At that time, the researchers found that there was simply one microbial types originating from the Acidiphilium genus in the Poás volcanic lake. Unsurprisingly, this type of bacteria is frequently found in acid mine drainages and hydrothermal systems, and they are known to have actually numerous genes adapted to diverse surroundings.
In the following years, there was a series of eruptions and the team returned in 2017 to see whether there had been modifications in the microbial diversity, in addition to study the organisms biochemical processes more thoroughly. This latest work reveals that there was a bit more biodiversity, however still a supremacy of the Acidiphilium germs.