Vishniac W
Department of Biology, University of Rochester, Rochester, New York, USA.
Life Sci Space Res. 1965;3:139-41.
Limonite (Fe2O3 . nH2O) may be a constituent of the Martian surface. We have prepared culture media with ferric hydroxide as an electron acceptor. One medium contained ethanol, another gaseous hydrogen and carbon dioxide. Bacterial growth without light and oxygen suggests that ferric iron serves as a terminal respiratory electron acceptor. The oxidation of ferrous hydroxide may be carried out by photosynthetic bacteria. A ferrous-ferric couple may thus support bacterial respiration and photosynthesis in the absence of oxygen. This cycle may account for the dark markings of Mars.
褐铁矿（Fe2O3·nH2O）可能是火星表面的一种成分。我们已经制备了以氢氧化铁作为电子受体的培养基。一种培养基含有乙醇，另一种含有气态氢和二氧化碳。在无光和无氧条件下细菌生长表明三价铁作为末端呼吸电子受体。氢氧化亚铁的氧化可能由光合细菌进行。因此，亚铁 - 铁电对在无氧条件下可能支持细菌呼吸和光合作用。这个循环可能解释了火星上的暗斑。
