A Laboratory of Extremophiles: Iceland Coordination Action for Research Activities on Life in Extreme Environments (CAREX) Field Campaign

Life

Viggó Marteinsson⁷  Parag Vaishampayan⁵  Jana Kviderova¹  Francesca Mapelli³  Mauro Medori⁴  Carlo Calfapietra⁴  Angeles Aguilera⁸  Domenica Hamisch²  Eyjólfur Reynisson⁷  Sveinn Magnússon⁷  Ramona Marasco³  Sara Borin³  Abigail Calzada⁶  Virginia Souza-Egipsy⁸  Elena González-Toril⁸  Ricardo Amils⁸  Josef Elster¹ 

[1] Institute of Botany AS CR, Dukelská 135, Třeboň, CZ-379 82 Czech Republic; E-Mails:;Department of Plant Biology Technical University of Braunschweig, Pockelsstr. 14, Brunschweig, 38092, Germany; E-Mails:;Department of Food, Environment and Nutritional Sciences (DeFENS), University of Milan, via Celoria 2, Milan, 20133, Italy; E-Mails:;Consiglio NazionaledelleRicercheIstituto di BiologiaAgroambientale e Forestale via Marconi 2-05010 Porano (TR), Italy; E-Mails:;Biotechnology and Planetary Protection Group, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California, Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA 91109, USA; E-Mail:;Geology Department, University of Oviedo, Jesús Arias de Velasc, Oviedo, 33005, Spain; E-Mail:;Matis ohf. Food Safety, Environment and Genetics, Vinlandsleid 12, Reykjavik, 113, Iceland; E-Mails:;Centro de Astrobiología. INTA-CSIC. Torrenjón de Ardoz, Madrid, 28850, Spain; E-Mails:

关键词: hot spring;    field campaign;    interdisciplinary;    extreme environment;   

DOI  :  10.3390/life3010211

来源: mdpi

【 摘 要 】

Existence of life in extreme environments has been known for a long time, and their habitants have been investigated by different scientific disciplines for decades. However, reports of multidisciplinary research are uncommon. In this paper, we report an interdisciplinary three-day field campaign conducted in the framework of the Coordination Action for Research Activities on Life in Extreme Environments (CAREX) FP7EU program, with participation of experts in the fields of life and earth sciences. In situ experiments and sampling were performed in a 20 m long hot springs system of different temperature (57 °C to 100 °C) and pH (2 to 4). Abiotic factors were measured to study their influence on the diversity. The CO₂ and H₂S concentration varied at different sampling locations in the system, but the SO₂ remained the same. Four biofilms, mainly composed by four different algae and phototrophic protists, showed differences in photosynthetic activity. Varying temperature of the sampling location affects chlorophyll fluorescence, not only in the microbial mats, but plants (Juncus), indicating selective adaptation to the environmental conditions. Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), DNA microarray and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE)-based analysis in laboratory showed the presence of a diverse microbial population. Even a short duration (30 h) deployment of a micro colonizer in this hot spring system led to colonization of microorganisms based on ribosomal intergenic spacer (RISA) analysis. Polyphasic analysis of this hot spring system was possible due to the involvement of multidisciplinary approaches.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© 2013 by the authors; licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.