Hyperarid soil microbial community response to simulated rainfall

The exceptionally long and protracted aridity in the Atacama Desert (AD), Chile, provides an extreme, terrestrial ecosystem that is ideal for studying microbial community dynamics under hyperarid conditions. Our aim was to characterize the temporal response of hyperarid soil AD microbial communities to ex situ simulated rainfall (5% g water/g dry soil for 4 weeks) without nutrient amendment. We conducted replicated microcosm experiments with surface soils from two previously well-characterized AD hyperarid locations near Yungay at 1242 and 1609 masl (YUN1242 and YUN1609) with distinct microbial community compositions and average soil relative humidity levels of 21 and 17%, respectively. The bacterial and archaeal response to soil wetting was evaluated by 16S rRNA gene qPCR, and amplicon sequencing. Initial YUN1242 bacterial and archaeal 16S rRNA gene copy numbers were significantly higher than for YUN1609. Over the next 4 weeks, qPCR results showed significant increases in viable bacterial abundance, whereas archaeal abundance decreased. Both communities were dominated by 10 prokaryotic phyla (Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, Chloroflexota, Gemmatimonadota, Firmicutes, Bacteroidota, Planctomycetota, Nitrospirota, Cyanobacteriota, and Crenarchaeota) but there were significant site differences in the relative abundances of Gemmatimonadota and Chloroflexota, and specific actinobacterial orders. The response to simulated rainfall was distinct for the two communities. The actinobacterial taxa in the YUN1242 community showed rapid changes while the same taxa in the YUN1609 community remained relatively stable until day 30. Analysis of inferred function of the YUN1242 microbiome response implied an increase in the relative abundance of known spore-forming taxa with the capacity for mixotrophy at the expense of more oligotrophic taxa, whereas the YUN1609 community retained a stable profile of oligotrophic, facultative chemolithoautotrophic and mixotrophic taxa. These results indicate that bacterial communities in extreme hyperarid soils have the capacity for growth in response to simulated rainfall; however, historic variations in long-term hyperaridity exposure produce communities with distinct putative metabolic capacities

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits - the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants - determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait‐based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits - almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives

TRY plant trait database – enhanced coverage and open access

Plant traits—the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants—determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits—almost complete coverage for ‘plant growth form’. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait–environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.Rest of authors: Decky Junaedi, Robert R. Junker, Eric Justes, Richard Kabzems, Jeffrey Kane, Zdenek Kaplan, Teja Kattenborn, Lyudmila Kavelenova, Elizabeth Kearsley, Anne Kempel, Tanaka Kenzo, Andrew Kerkhoff, Mohammed I. Khalil, Nicole L. Kinlock, Wilm Daniel Kissling, Kaoru Kitajima, Thomas Kitzberger, Rasmus Kjøller, Tamir Klein, Michael Kleyer, Jitka Klimešová, Joice Klipel, Brian Kloeppel, Stefan Klotz, Johannes M. H. Knops, Takashi Kohyama, Fumito Koike, Johannes Kollmann, Benjamin Komac, Kimberly Komatsu, Christian König, Nathan J. B. Kraft, Koen Kramer, Holger Kreft, Ingolf Kühn, Dushan Kumarathunge, Jonas Kuppler, Hiroko Kurokawa, Yoko Kurosawa, Shem Kuyah, Jean-Paul Laclau, Benoit Lafleur, Erik Lallai, Eric Lamb, Andrea Lamprecht, Daniel J. Larkin, Daniel Laughlin, Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet, Guerric le Maire, Peter C. le Roux, Elizabeth le Roux, Tali Lee, Frederic Lens, Simon L. Lewis, Barbara Lhotsky, Yuanzhi Li, Xine Li, Jeremy W. Lichstein, Mario Liebergesell, Jun Ying Lim, Yan-Shih Lin, Juan Carlos Linares, Chunjiang Liu, Daijun Liu, Udayangani Liu, Stuart Livingstone, Joan Llusià, Madelon Lohbeck, Álvaro López-García, Gabriela Lopez-Gonzalez, Zdeňka Lososová, Frédérique Louault, Balázs A. Lukács, Petr Lukeš, Yunjian Luo, Michele Lussu, Siyan Ma, Camilla Maciel Rabelo Pereira, Michelle Mack, Vincent Maire, Annikki Mäkelä, Harri Mäkinen, Ana Claudia Mendes Malhado, Azim Mallik, Peter Manning, Stefano Manzoni, Zuleica Marchetti, Luca Marchino, Vinicius Marcilio-Silva, Eric Marcon, Michela Marignani, Lars Markesteijn, Adam Martin, Cristina Martínez-Garza, Jordi Martínez-Vilalta, Tereza Mašková, Kelly Mason, Norman Mason, Tara Joy Massad, Jacynthe Masse, Itay Mayrose, James McCarthy, M. Luke McCormack, Katherine McCulloh, Ian R. McFadden, Brian J. McGill, Mara Y. McPartland, Juliana S. Medeiros, Belinda Medlyn, Pierre Meerts, Zia Mehrabi, Patrick Meir, Felipe P. L. Melo, Maurizio Mencuccini, Céline Meredieu, Julie Messier, Ilona Mészáros, Juha Metsaranta, Sean T. Michaletz, Chrysanthi Michelaki, Svetlana Migalina, Ruben Milla, Jesse E. D. Miller, Vanessa Minden, Ray Ming, Karel Mokany, Angela T. Moles, Attila Molnár V, Jane Molofsky, Martin Molz, Rebecca A. Montgomery, Arnaud Monty, Lenka Moravcová, Alvaro Moreno-Martínez, Marco Moretti, Akira S. Mori, Shigeta Mori, Dave Morris, Jane Morrison, Ladislav Mucina, Sandra Mueller, Christopher D. Muir, Sandra Cristina Müller, François Munoz, Isla H. Myers-Smith, Randall W. Myster, Masahiro Nagano, Shawna Naidu, Ayyappan Narayanan, Balachandran Natesan, Luka Negoita, Andrew S. Nelson, Eike Lena Neuschulz, Jian Ni, Georg Niedrist, Jhon Nieto, Ülo Niinemets, Rachael Nolan, Henning Nottebrock, Yann Nouvellon, Alexander Novakovskiy, The Nutrient Network, Kristin Odden Nystuen, Anthony O'Grady, Kevin O'Hara, Andrew O'Reilly-Nugent, Simon Oakley, Walter Oberhuber, Toshiyuki Ohtsuka, Ricardo Oliveira, Kinga Öllerer, Mark E. Olson, Vladimir Onipchenko, Yusuke Onoda, Renske E. Onstein, Jenny C. Ordonez, Noriyuki Osada, Ivika Ostonen, Gianluigi Ottaviani, Sarah Otto, Gerhard E. Overbeck, Wim A. Ozinga, Anna T. Pahl, C. E. Timothy Paine, Robin J. Pakeman, Aristotelis C. Papageorgiou, Evgeniya Parfionova, Meelis Pärtel, Marco Patacca, Susana Paula, Juraj Paule, Harald Pauli, Juli G. Pausas, Begoña Peco, Josep Penuelas, Antonio Perea, Pablo Luis Peri, Ana Carolina Petisco-Souza, Alessandro Petraglia, Any Mary Petritan, Oliver L. Phillips, Simon Pierce, Valério D. Pillar, Jan Pisek, Alexandr Pomogaybin, Hendrik Poorter, Angelika Portsmuth, Peter Poschlod, Catherine Potvin, Devon Pounds, A. Shafer Powell, Sally A. Power, Andreas Prinzing, Giacomo Puglielli, Petr Pyšek, Valerie Raevel, Anja Rammig, Johannes Ransijn, Courtenay A. Ray, Peter B. Reich, Markus Reichstein, Douglas E. B. Reid, Maxime Réjou-Méchain, Victor Resco de Dios, Sabina Ribeiro, Sarah Richardson, Kersti Riibak, Matthias C. Rillig, Fiamma Riviera, Elisabeth M. R. Robert, Scott Roberts, Bjorn Robroek, Adam Roddy, Arthur Vinicius Rodrigues, Alistair Rogers, Emily Rollinson, Victor Rolo, Christine Römermann, Dina Ronzhina, Christiane Roscher, Julieta A. Rosell, Milena Fermina Rosenfield, Christian Rossi, David B. Roy, Samuel Royer-Tardif, Nadja Rüger, Ricardo Ruiz-Peinado, Sabine B. Rumpf, Graciela M. Rusch, Masahiro Ryo, Lawren Sack, Angela Saldaña, Beatriz Salgado-Negret, Roberto Salguero-Gomez, Ignacio Santa-Regina, Ana Carolina Santacruz-García, Joaquim Santos, Jordi Sardans, Brandon Schamp, Michael Scherer-Lorenzen, Matthias Schleuning, Bernhard Schmid, Marco Schmidt, Sylvain Schmitt, Julio V. Schneider, Simon D. Schowanek, Julian Schrader, Franziska Schrodt, Bernhard Schuldt, Frank Schurr, Galia Selaya Garvizu, Marina Semchenko, Colleen Seymour, Julia C. Sfair, Joanne M. Sharpe, Christine S. Sheppard, Serge Sheremetiev, Satomi Shiodera, Bill Shipley, Tanvir Ahmed Shovon, Alrun Siebenkäs, Carlos Sierra, Vasco Silva, Mateus Silva, Tommaso Sitzia, Henrik Sjöman, Martijn Slot, Nicholas G. Smith, Darwin Sodhi, Pamela Soltis, Douglas Soltis, Ben Somers, Grégory Sonnier, Mia Vedel Sørensen, Enio Egon Sosinski Jr, Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia, Alexandre F. Souza, Marko Spasojevic, Marta Gaia Sperandii, Amanda B. Stan, James Stegen, Klaus Steinbauer, Jörg G. Stephan, Frank Sterck, Dejan B. Stojanovic, Tanya Strydom, Maria Laura Suarez, Jens-Christian Svenning, Ivana Svitková, Marek Svitok, Miroslav Svoboda, Emily Swaine, Nathan Swenson, Marcelo Tabarelli, Kentaro Takagi, Ulrike Tappeiner, Rubén Tarifa, Simon Tauugourdeau, Cagatay Tavsanoglu, Mariska te Beest, Leho Tedersoo, Nelson Thiffault, Dominik Thom, Evert Thomas, Ken Thompson, Peter E. Thornton, Wilfried Thuiller, Lubomír Tichý, David Tissue, Mark G. Tjoelker, David Yue Phin Tng, Joseph Tobias, Péter Török, Tonantzin Tarin, José M. Torres-Ruiz, Béla Tóthmérész, Martina Treurnicht, Valeria Trivellone, Franck Trolliet, Volodymyr Trotsiuk, James L. Tsakalos, Ioannis Tsiripidis, Niklas Tysklind, Toru Umehara, Vladimir Usoltsev, Matthew Vadeboncoeur, Jamil Vaezi, Fernando Valladares, Jana Vamosi, Peter M. van Bodegom, Michiel van Breugel, Elisa Van Cleemput, Martine van de Weg, Stephni van der Merwe, Fons van der Plas, Masha T. van der Sande, Mark van Kleunen, Koenraad Van Meerbeek, Mark Vanderwel, Kim André Vanselow, Angelica Vårhammar, Laura Varone, Maribel Yesenia Vasquez Valderrama, Kiril Vassilev, Mark Vellend, Erik J. Veneklaas, Hans Verbeeck, Kris Verheyen, Alexander Vibrans, Ima Vieira, Jaime Villacís, Cyrille Violle, Pandi Vivek, Katrin Wagner, Matthew Waldram, Anthony Waldron, Anthony P. Walker, Martyn Waller, Gabriel Walther, Han Wang, Feng Wang, Weiqi Wang, Harry Watkins, James Watkins, Ulrich Weber, James T. Weedon, Liping Wei, Patrick Weigelt, Evan Weiher, Aidan W. Wells, Camilla Wellstein, Elizabeth Wenk, Mark Westoby, Alana Westwood, Philip John White, Mark Whitten, Mathew Williams, Daniel E. Winkler, Klaus Winter, Chevonne Womack, Ian J. Wright, S. Joseph Wright, Justin Wright, Bruno X. Pinho, Fabiano Ximenes, Toshihiro Yamada, Keiko Yamaji, Ruth Yanai, Nikolay Yankov, Benjamin Yguel, Kátia Janaina Zanini, Amy E. Zanne, David Zelený, Yun-Peng Zhao, Jingming Zheng, Ji Zheng, Kasia Ziemińska, Chad R. Zirbel, Georg Zizka, Irié Casimir Zo-Bi, Gerhard Zotz, Christian Wirth.Max Planck Institute for Biogeochemistry; Max Planck Society; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig; International Programme of Biodiversity Science (DIVERSITAS); International Geosphere-Biosphere Programme (IGBP); Future Earth; French Foundation for Biodiversity Research (FRB); GIS ‘Climat, Environnement et Société'.http://wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/gcbhj2021Plant Production and Soil Scienc

Dimorphinites (Ammonoidea, Jurassic, Upper Bajocian) in the Precordillera of Northern Chile

A new upper Bajocian ammonite assemblage containing the morphoceratids Dimorphinites dimorphus (d’Orbigny) and Vigoriceras defrancei (d’Orbigny) is reported from the circum-Pacific area. These ammonites were found at the top of the Torcazas Formation, in the Quebrada San Pedro area, Precordillera of northern Chile. Taphonomic, systematic, and paleobiogeographic data confirm these dimorphs were part of indigenous populations within the Tarapaca Basin, belonging to the same demic biospecies: Dimorphinites defrancei (d’Orbigny). The West Tethyan and East-Pacific distribution of D. defrancei corroborates the availability of the migratory seaway, the socalled Hispanic Corridor, between the western Tethys and the eastern Pacific Ocean during the upper Bajocian Parkinsoni Zone. The discovery of this upper Bajocian Dimorphinites assemblage provides a new biochronostratigraphic horizon in the Tarapaca Basin and an interoceanic correlation point for the latest Bajocian

Different sulfate sources and their post-depositional migration in Atacama soils

Sulfate is one of the major salts accumulated in the hyperarid Atacama Desert, Chile. Its origin has been attributed to local weathering, volcanic source, sea salt, and atmosphere deposition. Previous studies concluded that atmospheric sulfate is present in the desert, but this term was poorly defined in terms of chemical origin, and its contribution to the total sulfate budget in soil is debated. The contribution of each potential sulfate source is expected to vary geographically due to different source locations. Efforts to quantify the contribution from each source have been hampered by the lack of well-defined isotopic compositions for its end-members. In this study, we discard the vague term of atmospheric sulfate by recognizing two major sulfate sources on the basis of their formation pathways: primary and secondary sulfate. Primary sulfate, including those from rock weathering, sea salt, and volcanic ash leachates, do not have an 17O anomaly. Secondary sulfate, derived from the oxidation of reduced sulfur gases (biological or volcanic emissions) by atmospheric ozone or hydrogen peroxide, however, has an 17O anomaly. We developed a method to extract water-soluble anions sequentially or entirely from bulk soil samples, and analyzed the sulfate concentrations and 17O anomalies for four geographically representative soil profiles in the central Atacama Desert (23°S to 25.5°S). We found that sequential sulfate extractions on the same soil sample produce sulfate with decreasing Δ17O values. Except for a positive bulge at 20 to 50 cm in depth, there is a general increase in the Δ17O value for total sulfate with soil depth for all the four soil profiles that we examined. These findings are consistent with the hypothesis that secondary sulfates (17O-anomalous sulfates) are more soluble and thus preferentially leached in liquid water than primary sulfate. The finding also warns that incomplete sulfate extraction from sulfate-rich soils yields unpredictable results. We infer a Δ17O value of ∼4.6‰ for secondary sulfate based on data from partial sulfate extraction experiments. Total contribution of secondary sulfate in the central Atacama Desert is estimated to range from 9% to 24%, with the highest percentage in the Central Depression. © 2004 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

A metriorhynchid crocodyliform braincase from northern Chile

A three-dimensionally preserved metriorhynchid braincase from the Oxfordian of northern Chile is described. The specimen is referred to the metriorhynchid Metriorhynchus cf.M. westermanni. The excellent preservation provides clear sutures and a detailed description, and X-ray computed tomographic (CT) scanning provides internal anatomical details. The general pattern of the orbitotemporal region is consistent with that of the basal thalattosuchian Pelagosaurus typus as described recently. The specimen from northern Chile shares with other metriorhynchids (e.g., Cricosaurus araucanensis, Metriorhynchus westermanni, M. casamiquelai, and Dakosaurus andiniensis) a dorsally exposed laterosphenoid, a laterosphenoidprootic suture forming a blunt crest separating the supratemporal fenestra into two fossae for muscular attachment, and the quadrate incompletely sutured to the braincase. Thus, these features characterize not only basal but derived Thalattosuchia, as suggested by previous authors. The main difference in the orbitotemporal region is that in the specimen described herein, and in the other metriorhynchids examined, the trigeminal fossa is developed mainly caudal to the trigeminal foramen, whereas in P. typus the fossa is developed rostral and caudal to the trigeminal foramen. CT scanning indicates the presence of enlarged dorsal dural venous sinuses overlying the brain, as it has been described recently in Steneosaurus pictaviensis, and a well-developed sinus within the quadrate. The large foramen ventrolateral to the occipital condyle, which characterizes metriorhynchids, is confirmed as the entry for the internal carotid artery.Metriorhynchus cf.M. westermanni. The excellent preservation provides clear sutures and a detailed description, and X-ray computed tomographic (CT) scanning provides internal anatomical details. The general pattern of the orbitotemporal region is consistent with that of the basal thalattosuchian Pelagosaurus typus as described recently. The specimen from northern Chile shares with other metriorhynchids (e.g., Cricosaurus araucanensis, Metriorhynchus westermanni, M. casamiquelai, and Dakosaurus andiniensis) a dorsally exposed laterosphenoid, a laterosphenoidprootic suture forming a blunt crest separating the supratemporal fenestra into two fossae for muscular attachment, and the quadrate incompletely sutured to the braincase. Thus, these features characterize not only basal but derived Thalattosuchia, as suggested by previous authors. The main difference in the orbitotemporal region is that in the specimen described herein, and in the other metriorhynchids examined, the trigeminal fossa is developed mainly caudal to the trigeminal foramen, whereas in P. typus the fossa is developed rostral and caudal to the trigeminal foramen. CT scanning indicates the presence of enlarged dorsal dural venous sinuses overlying the brain, as it has been described recently in Steneosaurus pictaviensis, and a well-developed sinus within the quadrate. The large foramen ventrolateral to the occipital condyle, which characterizes metriorhynchids, is confirmed as the entry for the internal carotid artery.Fil: Fernández, Marta Susana. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico de Paleontología de Vertebrados; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; ArgentinaFil: Paulina Carabajal, Ariana. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Provincia del Neuquén. Municipalidad de Plaza Huincul. Museo "Carmen Funes"; ArgentinaFil: Brandoni, Zulma Nelida. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - La Plata; Argentina. Universidad Nacional de La Plata. Facultad de Ciencias Naturales y Museo. Departamento Científico de Paleontología de Vertebrados; ArgentinaFil: Chong Díaz, Guillermo. Universidad Católica del Norte; Chil

Physical, chemical, and microbial feedbacks controlling brine geochemistry and lake morphology in polyextreme salar environments

Despite the harsh environmental conditions in the world's oldest and driest desert, some salt flat or ‘salar’ environments in the Atacama Desert host standing bodies of water known as saline lakes. Evaporite minerals deposited within saline lakes result from the equilibrium of environmental, sedimentological, and biogeochemical processes that occur in the salar; consequently, these minerals are sensitive records of human activities and ecological, evolutionary, and geological changes. The objective of this study was to evaluate feedbacks between physical, chemical, and microbial processes that culminate in distinct trends in brine chemistry, saline lake morphology, and associated evaporite sediments. Using samples from the Puquios of the Salar de Llamara, Atacama Desert, northern Chile, an analysis of spatial gradients and vertical stratification of lake elemental chemistry and mineral saturation indices were integrated with a comprehensive analysis of lake morphology, including depth, slope gradient, substrate type, and mineralogy. Lake waters ranged from saline to hypersaline, and exhibited normal, well mixed and inverse stratification patterns, and results suggest a correlation with lake morphology in the Salar de Llamara. Saline to hypersaline lakes (>150 mS/cm) with stratified brines tended to have crystalline substrate and deep (>35 cm) and steep-sided lake morphologies, while unstratified lakes with lower electrical conductivity (<90 mS/cm and microbial substrates had gentle slopes and characteristically shallow depths (<30 cm). Differences in minor element chemistry (Mn and Sr) between saline lakes were observed on scales of meters to kilometers, and result in different accessory mineral assemblages. Quantification of the physical, chemical, and microbial feedbacks that produce the observed heterogeneity in these ecosystems provides key insight into the geochemical composition and lake morphology of saline lakes in extreme environments around the world.[Display omitted]•Lake chemistry, morphology, substrate, and accessory minerals were heterogeneous.•Stratified saline brines seen in deep, steep-sided lakes with crystalline substrate•No stratification seen in shallow lakes with microbial substrate and gentle slopes•Physical, chemical, and microbial feedbacks predict trends in saline lake

A microbial oasis in the hypersaline atacama subsurface discovered by a life detector chip:Implications for the search for life on mars

The Atacama Desert has long been considered a good Mars analogue for testing instrumentation for planetary exploration, but very few data (if any) have been reported about the geomicrobiology of its salt-rich subsurface. We performed a Mars analogue drilling campaign next to the Salar Grande (Atacama, Chile) in July 2009, and several cores and powder samples from up to 5m deep were analyzed in situ with LDChip300 (a Life Detector Chip containing 300 antibodies). Here, we show the discovery of a hypersaline subsurface microbial habitat associated with halite-, nitrate-, and perchlorate-containing salts at 2m deep. LDChip300 detected bacteria, archaea, and other biological material (DNA, exopolysaccharides, some peptides) from the analysis of less than 0.5g of ground core sample. The results were supported by oligonucleotide microarray hybridization in the field and finally confirmed by molecular phylogenetic analysis and direct visualization of microbial cells bound to halite crystals in the laboratory. Geochemical analyses revealed a habitat with abundant hygroscopic salts like halite (up to 260g kg -1) and perchlorate (41.13μg g -1 maximum), which allow deliquescence events at low relative humidity. Thin liquid water films would permit microbes to proliferate by using detected organic acids like acetate (19.14μg g -1) or formate (76.06μg g -1) as electron donors, and sulfate (15875μg g -1), nitrate (13490μg g -1), or perchlorate as acceptors. Our results correlate with the discovery of similar hygroscopic salts and possible deliquescence processes on Mars, and open new search strategies for subsurface martian biota. The performance demonstrated by our LDChip300 validates this technology for planetary exploration, particularly for the search for life on Mars