The grit crust is a recently discovered, novel type of biocrust made of
prokaryotic cyanobacteria, eukaryotic green algae, fungi, lichens and other
microbes that grow around and within granitoid stone pebbles of about 6 mm
diameter in the Coastal Range of the Atacama Desert, Chile. The microbial
community is very well adapted towards the extreme conditions of the Atacama
Desert, such as the highest irradiation of the planet, strong temperature
amplitudes and steep wet-dry cycles. It also has several other striking
features making this biocrust unique compared to biocrusts known from
other arid biomes on Earth. It has already been shown that the grit crust
mediates various bio-weathering activities in its natural habitat. These
activities prime soil for higher organisms in a way that can be envisioned as
a proxy for general processes shaping even extra-terrestrial landscapes. Our recently published
mini-review highlights the potential of the grit crust as a model for astrobiology
in terms of extra-terrestrial microbial colonization and biotechnological
applications that support human colonization of planets.
The article was published in Frontiers Astronomy and Space Sciences, section Astrobiology.