Ancient Photosynthetic Eukaryote Biofilms in an Atacama Desert Coastal Cave |
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| Authors: | A Azúa-Bustos C González-Silva R A Mancilla L Salas R E Palma J J Wynne C P McKay R Vicuña |
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| Institution: | 1.Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas,Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile,Santiago,Chile;2.Departamento de Ciencias Químicas y Farmaceúticas,Universidad Arturo Prat,Iquique,Chile;3.USGS, Southwest Biological Science Center, and Department of Biological Sciences,Northern Arizona University,Flagstaff,USA;4.NASA-Ames Research Center,Moffett Field,USA;5.Millennium Institute for Fundamental and Applied Biology,Santiago,Chile;6.Departamento de Ecología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas,Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile,Santiago,Chile |
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| Abstract: | Caves offer a stable and protected environment from harsh and changing outside prevailing conditions. Hence, they represent
an interesting habitat for studying life in extreme environments. Here, we report the presence of a member of the ancient
eukaryote red algae Cyanidium group in a coastal cave of the hyperarid Atacama Desert. This microorganism was found to form a seemingly monospecific biofilm
growing under extremely low photon flux levels. Our work suggests that this species, Cyanidium sp. Atacama, is a new member of a recently proposed novel monophyletic lineage of mesophilic “cave” Cyanidium sp., distinct from the remaining three other lineages which are all thermo-acidophilic. The cave described in this work may
represent an evolutionary island for life in the midst of the Atacama Desert. |
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