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Astrobiology not only investigates how early life took hold of our
planet but also life on other planets - both in our Solar System
and beyond - and their potential for habitability. The book take
readers from the scars on planetary surfaces made by space rocks to
the history of the Solar System narrated by those space rocks as
well as exoplanets in other planetary systems. But the true
question is how life arose here or elsewhere. Modern comparative
genomics has revealed that Darwin was correct; a set of highly
conserved genes and cellular functions indicate that all life is
related by common ancestry. The Last Universal Common Ancestor or
LUCA sits at the base of the Tree of Life. However, once that life
took hold, it started to diversify and form complex microbial
communities that are known as microbial mats and stromatolites. Due
to their long evolutionary history and abundance on modern Earth,
research on the biological, chemical and geological processes of
stromatolite formation has provided important insights into the
field of astrobiology. Many of these microbialite-containing
ecosystems have been used as models for astrobiology, and NASA
mission analogs including Shark Bay, Pavilion and Kelly Lakes.
Modern microbialites represent natural laboratories to study
primordial ecosystems and provide proxies for how life could evolve
on other planets. However, few viral metagenomic studies (i.e.,
viromes) have been conducted in microbialites, which are not only
an important part of the community but also mirror its
biodiversity. This book focuses on particularly interesting sites
such as Andean lake microbialites, a proxy of early life since they
are characterized by very high UV light, while Alchichica and
Bacalar lakes are characterized by high-salt and oligotrophic
waters that nurture stromatolites. However, it is only the oasis of
Cuatro Cienegas Basin in Mexico that stored past life in its marine
sediments of the Sierra de San Marcos. This particular Sierra has a
magmatic pouch that moves the deep aquifer to the surface in a
cycle of sun drenched life and back to the depths of the magmatic
life in an ancient cycle that now is broken by the overexploitation
of the surface water as well as the deep aquifer in order to
irrigate alfalfa in the desert. The anthropocene, the era of human
folly, is killing this unique time machine and with it the memory
of the planet.
Astrobiology not only investigates how early life took hold of our
planet but also life on other planets - both in our Solar System
and beyond - and their potential for habitability. The book take
readers from the scars on planetary surfaces made by space rocks to
the history of the Solar System narrated by those space rocks as
well as exoplanets in other planetary systems. But the true
question is how life arose here or elsewhere. Modern comparative
genomics has revealed that Darwin was correct; a set of highly
conserved genes and cellular functions indicate that all life is
related by common ancestry. The Last Universal Common Ancestor or
LUCA sits at the base of the Tree of Life. However, once that life
took hold, it started to diversify and form complex microbial
communities that are known as microbial mats and stromatolites. Due
to their long evolutionary history and abundance on modern Earth,
research on the biological, chemical and geological processes of
stromatolite formation has provided important insights into the
field of astrobiology. Many of these microbialite-containing
ecosystems have been used as models for astrobiology, and NASA
mission analogs including Shark Bay, Pavilion and Kelly Lakes.
Modern microbialites represent natural laboratories to study
primordial ecosystems and provide proxies for how life could evolve
on other planets. However, few viral metagenomic studies (i.e.,
viromes) have been conducted in microbialites, which are not only
an important part of the community but also mirror its
biodiversity. This book focuses on particularly interesting sites
such as Andean lake microbialites, a proxy of early life since they
are characterized by very high UV light, while Alchichica and
Bacalar lakes are characterized by high-salt and oligotrophic
waters that nurture stromatolites. However, it is only the oasis of
Cuatro Cienegas Basin in Mexico that stored past life in its marine
sediments of the Sierra de San Marcos. This particular Sierra has a
magmatic pouch that moves the deep aquifer to the surface in a
cycle of sun drenched life and back to the depths of the magmatic
life in an ancient cycle that now is broken by the overexploitation
of the surface water as well as the deep aquifer in order to
irrigate alfalfa in the desert. The anthropocene, the era of human
folly, is killing this unique time machine and with it the memory
of the planet.
Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) are three of the most
important elements used to build living beings, and their uptake
from the environment is consequently essential for all organisms.
Photosynthesis is the process in which plants absorb atmospheric C
as they grow and convert it to biomass. However, plants acquire N
and P only when these are available in the soil solution, which
makes these elements the most limiting nutrients in plant growth
and productivity in most ecosystems. When plant residues and roots
decompose, the C, N and P they contain is transformed primarily
into soil organic matter (SOM) or C and N can release to the
atmosphere. Recent interest on the global C, N and P cycles has
focused attention on the different proportion of terrestrial C, N
and P stored in different ecosystem pools. Cuatro Cienegas
represents an exceptional place, since the plants are not the base
of the food web, they are the microbial community, that recycle the
elements essential for life. In this book we describe how this is
an analog of early Earth.
The aim of this first book is to introduce the readers of the
series to why Cuatro Cienegas Basin (CCB) is so unique, starting
with the reason why astrobiologists became interested in this oasis
in the first place; namely, the high diversity and abundance of
stromatolites and microbial mats in continental waters to be found
in the desert oasis. As NASA has long since discovered, the basin
may offer the best analog of early Earth. In essence, CCB is a time
machine that can take us far back and forth in time. In the
respective chapters, the contributing authors explain the
extraordinary microbial diversity of Cuatro Cienegas Basin from
various perspectives. In order to do so, they explain their journey
as well as the different tools used to unravel the basin's
mysteries, such as: Why are there so many species in a place
without food? How has life there survived the enormity of tectonic
shifts through the ages, maintaining its ancient marine heritage?
Carbon (C), Nitrogen (N) and Phosphorus (P) are three of the most
important elements used to build living beings, and their uptake
from the environment is consequently essential for all organisms.
Photosynthesis is the process in which plants absorb atmospheric C
as they grow and convert it to biomass. However, plants acquire N
and P only when these are available in the soil solution, which
makes these elements the most limiting nutrients in plant growth
and productivity in most ecosystems. When plant residues and roots
decompose, the C, N and P they contain is transformed primarily
into soil organic matter (SOM) or C and N can release to the
atmosphere. Recent interest on the global C, N and P cycles has
focused attention on the different proportion of terrestrial C, N
and P stored in different ecosystem pools. Cuatro Cienegas
represents an exceptional place, since the plants are not the base
of the food web, they are the microbial community, that recycle the
elements essential for life. In this book we describe how this is
an analog of early Earth.
The aim of this first book is to introduce the readers of the
series to why Cuatro Cienegas Basin (CCB) is so unique, starting
with the reason why astrobiologists became interested in this oasis
in the first place; namely, the high diversity and abundance of
stromatolites and microbial mats in continental waters to be found
in the desert oasis. As NASA has long since discovered, the basin
may offer the best analog of early Earth. In essence, CCB is a time
machine that can take us far back and forth in time. In the
respective chapters, the contributing authors explain the
extraordinary microbial diversity of Cuatro Cienegas Basin from
various perspectives. In order to do so, they explain their journey
as well as the different tools used to unravel the basin's
mysteries, such as: Why are there so many species in a place
without food? How has life there survived the enormity of tectonic
shifts through the ages, maintaining its ancient marine heritage?
This book takes readers on a journey through the history of water
in the Coahuila desert. It starts by describing the beauty and
mysteries of the landscape, and then explores the rock art of the
original desert cultures in Coahuila, offering readers a glimpse of
the sacred nature of water in the desert, as well as the rituals
surrounding it. Moving on to the colonial times and the post-
independence development of the region, it discusses early water
management, and explores how water is managed in modern times, as
well as the legal complications of the law, and how these faulty
laws, designed for less arid regions, have affected a highly
diverse wetland, the Cuatro Cienegas oasis. The book then examines
the biological consequences of the water loss for the aquatic
plants and animals in Churince - a now extinct system within Cuatro
Cienegas. Further, it addresses how even bacteria can become
extinct in this hyper-diverse microbial oasis. Lastly, after this
despair and sense of loss, the book provides hope, offering
suggestions for how we can transform the future, from a social and
educational point of view as well as through good science and
changes in policy.
This book takes readers on a journey through the history of water
in the Coahuila desert. It starts by describing the beauty and
mysteries of the landscape, and then explores the rock art of the
original desert cultures in Coahuila, offering readers a glimpse of
the sacred nature of water in the desert, as well as the rituals
surrounding it. Moving on to the colonial times and the post-
independence development of the region, it discusses early water
management, and explores how water is managed in modern times, as
well as the legal complications of the law, and how these faulty
laws, designed for less arid regions, have affected a highly
diverse wetland, the Cuatro Cienegas oasis. The book then examines
the biological consequences of the water loss for the aquatic
plants and animals in Churince - a now extinct system within Cuatro
Cienegas. Further, it addresses how even bacteria can become
extinct in this hyper-diverse microbial oasis. Lastly, after this
despair and sense of loss, the book provides hope, offering
suggestions for how we can transform the future, from a social and
educational point of view as well as through good science and
changes in policy.
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