Li Xiaoshuang, Bai Wenwan, Yang Qilin, Yin Benfeng, Zhang Zhenlong, Zhao Banchi, Kuang Tingyun, Zhang Yuanming, Zhang Daoyuan
State Key Laboratory of Desert and Oasis Ecology, Key Laboratory of Ecological Safety and Sustainable Development in Arid Lands, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi 830011, China.
University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing 100049, China.
Innovation (Camb). 2024 Jun 30;5(4):100657. doi: 10.1016/j.xinn.2024.100657. eCollection 2024 Jul 1.
Many plans to establish human settlements on other planets focus on adapting crops to growth in controlled environments. However, these settlements will also require pioneer plants that can grow in the soils and harsh conditions found in extraterrestrial environments, such as those on Mars. Here, we report the extraordinary environmental resilience of , a desert moss that thrives in various extreme environments. has remarkable desiccation tolerance; even after losing >98% of its cellular water content, it can recover photosynthetic and physiological activities within seconds after rehydration. Intact plants can tolerate ultra-low temperatures and regenerate even after being stored in a freezer at -80°C for 5 years or in liquid nitrogen for 1 month. also has super-resistance to gamma irradiation and can survive and maintain vitality in simulated Mars conditions; i.e., when simultaneously exposed to an anoxic atmosphere, extreme desiccation, low temperatures, and intense UV radiation. Our study shows that is among the most stress tolerant organisms. This work provides fundamental insights into the multi-stress tolerance of the desert moss , a promising candidate pioneer plant for colonizing extraterrestrial environments, laying the foundation for building biologically sustainable human habitats beyond Earth.
许多在其他星球建立人类定居点的计划都集中在使作物适应在可控环境中生长。然而，这些定居点还将需要能够在诸如火星等外星环境中发现的土壤和恶劣条件下生长的先锋植物。在此，我们报告了一种沙漠苔藓的非凡环境适应能力，它在各种极端环境中茁壮成长。这种苔藓具有显著的耐干燥能力；即使失去超过98%的细胞含水量，在重新水化后几秒钟内仍能恢复光合作用和生理活动。完整的植株能够耐受超低温，即使在-80°C的冷冻箱中储存5年或在液氮中储存1个月后仍能再生。这种苔藓对伽马辐射也具有超强抗性，并且在模拟火星条件下，即同时暴露于缺氧大气、极度干燥、低温和强烈紫外线辐射时，仍能存活并保持活力。我们的研究表明，这种苔藓是耐受性最强的生物之一。这项工作为沙漠苔藓的多重胁迫耐受性提供了基本见解，这种苔藓是在外星环境中殖民的有前途的候选先锋植物，为在地球之外建立生物可持续的人类栖息地奠定了基础。
