Physicochemical Parameters Limiting Growth of Debaryomyces hansenii in Solutions of Hygroscopic Compounds and Their Effects on the Habitability of Martian Brines

J. Heinz*, V. Rambags, D. Schulze-Makuch

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

The availability of liquid water is a prerequisite for all lifeforms on Earth. In hyperarid subzero environments like the Dry Valleys in Antarctica or the near-subsurface of Mars liquid water might be provided temporarily by hygroscopic substances that absorb water from the atmosphere and lower the freezing point of water. To evaluate the potential of hygroscopic compounds to serve as a habitat, it is necessary to explore the microbial tolerances towards these substances and their life-limiting properties. Here we present a study investigating the tolerances of the halotolerant yeast Debaryomyces hansenii to various solutes. Growth experiments were conducted via counting colony forming units (CFUs) after inoculation of a liquid growth medium containing a specific solute concentration. The lowest water activities (a(w)) enabling growth were determined to be ~0.83 in glycerol and fructose-rich media. For all other solutes the growth-enabling a(w) was higher, due to additional stress factors such as chaotropicity and ionic strength. Additionally, we found that the solute tolerances of D. hansenii correlate with both the eutectic freezing point depressions and the deliquescence relative humidities of the respective solutes. Our findings strongly impact our understanding of the habitability of solute-rich low a(w) environments on Earth and beyond.
Original languageEnglish
Article number1194
Number of pages13
JournalLife
Volume11
Issue number11
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2021
Externally publishedYes

Keywords

  • Mars
  • brines
  • salts
  • microorganisms
  • halotolerance
  • yeast
  • microbial growth
  • water activity
  • chaotropicity
  • WATER-ACTIVITY LIMIT
  • LIQUID WATER
  • PERCHLORATE
  • DELIQUESCENCE
  • TEMPERATURE
  • CHLORATE
  • POINTS
  • STRESS
  • CHAOTROPICITY
  • ENVIRONMENTS

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