A survey focusing on lichen species was carried out at the Mars Desert Research Station located in Utah, USA, and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Nunavut, Canada, as part of the Mars-160 mission, which simulates exploration on the surface of Mars. The survey found a total of 48 lichen taxa, with 35 species identified in the Utah region and 13 species in the Canadian location.
Once you learn where to look, you can find lichens almost anywhere! These unique organisms—combinations of fungi and photosynthetic partners—are able to thrive on many different surfaces, including rocks, trees, bare soil, and buildings. They inhabit every continent and nearly every land area on Earth; some species have even withstood the harsh conditions outside the International Space Station. Their resilience has intrigued researchers interested in which life forms might endure on Mars, as well as those studying Earth’s life as a way to understand our neighbor planet. In the arid regions surrounding two Mars simulation stations in North America, lichens are such a vital element of the local ecosystem that they sparked a biodiversity evaluation with an innovative approach: this inventory was conducted during a simulated Mars mission!
The Mars Desert Research Station in Utah, USA (situated on Ute and Paiute Territory), and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station in Nunavut, Canada (located in Inuit Nunangat, the homeland of the Inuit) serve as simulated environments for Martian exploration and are managed by The Mars Society. Crews at these stations engage in rehearsals simulating life and work on Mars. As they navigate the challenges of surviving on another planet, these “Martians” often study desert areas at both locations, frequently refining methods to document microbial life and its biosignatures in preparation for future explorations beyond Earth. Their research is bolstered by a thorough comprehension of the ecosystems involved, even though these are populated by life native to Earth. During the Mars 160 mission—a pair of twin expeditions to both Utah and Nunavut conducted in 2016 and 2017—our team executed a survey of the lichen diversity present at each station.
While engaged in simulated outside activities, mission specialists donned spacesuit replicas to investigate different habitats at both stations, searching for lichen species that thrive in various microhabitats. They collected over 150 specimens, which were then “returned to Earth” and analyzed at the National Herbarium of Canada within the Canadian Museum of Nature. Through morphological studies, internal anatomy and chemistry examinations, alongside DNA barcoding, “Mission Support” identified 35 lichen species from the Mars Desert Research Station and 13 species from the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station.
These species, coupled with images and a summary of their identifying features, are compiled in a recently published paper in the open-access journal Check List. This new annotated checklist will be beneficial for future teams working at both research stations and will aid lichenologists on Earth in further comprehending the distribution of these intriguing organisms, including new records of seldom-seen or newly identified species from some of the most unique and alien-like habitats on our planet.
