Astroecology

Astroecology is a research field devoted to scientific study of the interactions of life with extreme environments even exoplanetary conditions. By applying theory, methods and technology from ecology, microbiology, molecular biology, and engineering, we aim to help solve major global challenges such as extreme climate change and space-research stuff. Astroecology is a rapidly developing field with a strong interdisciplinary aspect that holds many challenges and opportunities for scientists. Indeed, technological advances have made possible long space travels and even exoplanetary colonies in the future. Nevertheless, the success of these activities depends on our ability to produce edible plants in stressful conditions such as high radiation, extreme temperatures, and low oxygen levels. In fact, several beneficial microorganisms, such as those inhabiting extreme environments, have helped agriculture cope with those difficulties. Thus, extremophiles may be a putative tool to ensure plant growth under exoplanetary conditions. In addition, microgravity is other constraint imposed to crops in space travel, in this sense microorganisms from extreme environments would help to cope with this factor for many plants, due the switch-on of different biochemical pathways and molecular responses by part of these extremophiles. Thus, our main aims are devoted to assesses the ecological, biochemical, and molecular responses of extremophiles inhabiting from environments such as the Antarctica, High-Mountains or Atacama Desert exposed to exoplanetary conditions, to search and select microorganisms able to act as a key biotechnological tool for future space agriculture, and helping plants cope with harsh environmental conditions as those find at beyond of the Earth.