Measurement of 14 CO 2 Assimilation in Soils: an Experiment for the Biological Exploration of Mars

Author:

Hubbard Jerry S.1,Hobby George L.1,Horowitz Norman H.1,Geiger Paul J.1,Morelli Frank A.1

Affiliation:

1. Bioscience Section, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91103

Abstract

A method is described for the measurement of 14 CO 2 assimilation by microorganisms in soils. A determination involves exposing soil to 14 CO 2 , pyrolyzing the exposed soil, trapping the organic pyrolysis products on a column of firebrick coated with CuO, combusting the trapped organics by heating, and measuring the radioactivity in the CO 2 produced in the combustion. The detection of significant levels of 14 C in the trapped organic fraction appears to be an unambiguous indication of biological activity. The 14 CO 2 which is adsorbed or exchanged into soils by nonbiological processes does not interfere. The method easily detects the 14 CO 2 fixed by 10 2 to 10 3 algae after light exposure for 3 to 24 hr. Assimilation of 14 C is also demonstrable in dark-exposed soils containing 10 5 to 10 6 heterotrophic bacteria. Possible applications of the method in the biological exploration of Mars are discussed.

Publisher

American Society for Microbiology

Subject

General Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutics,General Immunology and Microbiology,General Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology,General Medicine

Reference10 articles.

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