title: Ancient photosynthetic eukaryote biofilms in an Atacama Desert coastal cave.
abstract: Caves offer a stable and protected environment from harsh and changing outside prevailing conditions. Hence, they represent an interesting habitat for studying life in extreme environments. Here, we report the presence of a member of the ancient eukaryote red algae Cyanidium group in a coastal cave of the hyperarid Atacama Desert. This microorganism was found to form a seemingly monospecific biofilm growing under extremely low photon flux levels. Our work suggests that this species, Cyanidium sp. Atacama, is a new member of a recently proposed novel monophyletic lineage of mesophilic "cave" Cyanidium sp., distinct from the remaining three other lineages which are all thermo-acidophilic. The cave described in this work may represent an evolutionary island for life in the midst of the Atacama Desert.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Genética Molecular y Microbiología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Alameda 340, Santiago, Chile. ajazua@uc.cl
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azúa-Bustos
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: González-Silva
authors.forename: R A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Mancilla
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Salas
authors.forename: R E
authors.initials: RE
authors.lastname: Palma
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Wynne
authors.forename: C P
authors.initials: CP
authors.lastname: McKay
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Vicuña
mesh_terms: D018441:Biofilms; D002677:Chile; D048028:DNA, Algal / Q000235:genetics; D003889:Desert Climate; D017753:Ecosystem; D006813:Humidity; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D018613:Microscopy, Confocal; D008855:Microscopy, Electron, Scanning; D046529:Microscopy, Electron, Transmission; D010788:Photosynthesis; D010802:Phylogeny; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D000461:Rhodophyta / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000254:growth & development* / Q000648:ultrastructure; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D048028:DNA, Algal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S