Chroococcidiopsis, Blue - Green Algae That Might Be Able to Live on Mars

Blue Green

Chroococcidiopsis is a genus of blue-green algae. It is very widely distributed on the Earth

Tree Blue

Polyextremophile

Chroococcidiopsis is a polyextremophile. It is frequently found in several types of extreme environment. It will grow in extremely salty conditions in marshes, as well as hot and cold deserts.

Drying out

In deserts this organism will often spend most of is life looking totally dried out. When there is water available, it will resume its growth.

Cold and Dark

Chroococcidiopsis is one of the important organisms growing in the dry valleys of Antarctica where the hottest air temperature ever recorded is about the freezing point of water. In this environment, it will grow actually underneath stones where the amount of light is only a thousandth of the Antarctic sunlight.

When the soil and rocks warm up a bit in the southern summer, tiny amounts of water will melt, forming a thin layer of moisture which allows the algae to photosynthesise and grow.

Radiation

Like many organisms that can survive drying out, Chroococcidiopsis is also moderately resistant to radiation.

Spore Forming

Chroococcidiopsis forms resistant endospores which greatly aid its distribution by the wind and other things.

Could it grow on Mars?

Imre Friedmann of NASA's Astrobiology Institute has suggested Chroococcidiopsis as an organism that could be grown on Mars if the temperature of that planet were raised. Of course there is a question of how well we want it to grow. Mr. Friedmann is not talking about having it just survive, but about it growing well enough to prepare the place for other plants.

Chroococcidiopsis grows in the Antarctic dry valleys which have a similar summer temperature to than of the Martian equator. I think the limiting factor to its survival would be the question of whether any film of water forms on the Martian rocks. Although I am not aware that this has been detected, since there is water underground on Mars, and the temperature of the soil (Not the Air) get well above freezing point, some liquid water film under rocks seems possible.

Atmosphere

Chroococcidiopsis does not have to have Oxygen. The gas that it does need is Carbon dioxide. The Martian atmosphere actually has more of this gas than the Earth's. A thing that can limit the growth of Chroococcidiopsis is lack of Nitrogen. However, this is in the Earth's atmosphere. Under anaerobic conditions it will fix atmospheric Nitrogen. It is quite likely that on Mars, with its very low level of Oxygen, Chroococcidiopsis could use the Nitrogen gas from the atmosphere.

Chroococcidiopsis, Blue - Green Algae That Might Be Able to Live on Mars

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