Correlations between life-detection techniques and implications for sampling site selection in planetary analog missions

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dc.contributor.authorGentry, Diana M.
dc.contributor.authorAmador, Elena S.
dc.contributor.authorCable, Morgan L.
dc.contributor.authorChaudry, Nosheen
dc.contributor.authorCullen, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorJacobsen, Malene B.
dc.contributor.authorMurukesan, Gayathri
dc.contributor.authorSchwieterman, Edward W.
dc.contributor.authorStevens, Adam H.
dc.contributor.authorStockton, Amanda
dc.contributor.authorTan, George
dc.contributor.authorYin, Chang
dc.contributor.authorCullen, David C.
dc.contributor.authorGeppert, Wolf
dc.date.accessioned2017-10-27T13:56:37Z
dc.date.available2017-10-27T13:56:37Z
dc.date.freetoread2017-10-27
dc.date.issued2017-10-01
dc.description.abstractWe conducted an analog sampling expedition under simulated mission constraints to areas dominated by basaltic tephra of the Eldfell and Fimmvörðuháls lava fields (Iceland). Sites were selected to be “homogeneous” at a coarse remote sensing resolution (10–100 m) in apparent color, morphology, moisture, and grain size, with best-effort realism in numbers of locations and replicates. Three different biomarker assays (counting of nucleic-acid-stained cells via fluorescent microscopy, a luciferin/luciferase assay for adenosine triphosphate, and quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) to detect DNA associated with bacteria, archaea, and fungi) were characterized at four nested spatial scales (1 m, 10 m, 100 m, and >1 km) by using five common metrics for sample site representativeness (sample mean variance, group F tests, pairwise t tests, and the distribution-free rank sum H and u tests). Correlations between all assays were characterized with Spearman's rank test. The bioluminescence assay showed the most variance across the sites, followed by qPCR for bacterial and archaeal DNA; these results could not be considered representative at the finest resolution tested (1 m). Cell concentration and fungal DNA also had significant local variation, but they were homogeneous over scales of >1 km. These results show that the selection of life detection assays and the number, distribution, and location of sampling sites in a low biomass environment with limited a priori characterization can yield both contrasting and complementary results, and that their interdependence must be given due consideration to maximize science return in future biomarker sampling expeditions.en_UK
dc.identifier.citationGentry DM, Amador ES, Cable ML et al. (2017) Correlations between life-detection techniques and implications for sampling site selection in planetary analog missions. Astrobiology, Volume 17, Issue 12, October 2017, pp.1009-1021en_UK
dc.identifier.cris18352915
dc.identifier.issn1531-1074
dc.identifier.urihttps://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2016.1575
dc.identifier.urihttps://dspace.lib.cranfield.ac.uk/handle/1826/12678
dc.language.isoenen_UK
dc.publisherMary Ann Liebert, Inc.en_UK
dc.rightsAttribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
dc.rights.urihttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
dc.subjectAstrobiologyen_UK
dc.subjectBiodiversityen_UK
dc.subjectMicrobiologyen_UK
dc.subjectIcelanden_UK
dc.subjectPlanetary explorationen_UK
dc.subjectMars mission simulationen_UK
dc.subjectBiomarkeren_UK
dc.titleCorrelations between life-detection techniques and implications for sampling site selection in planetary analog missionsen_UK
dc.typeArticleen_UK

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