Multispecies communities enriched from environmental samples under varied conditions. Targeted Locus (Loci). terrestrial metagenome

Here we address questions of extraterrestrial habitability by examining microbial growth in synthetic Martian brines. High salt environments, chemically distinct from those found on the Earth, are known to have been widepsread throughout large portions of the history of Mars. We sampled microbial communities from terrestrial environments characterised by either salt stress or low water availability and monitored their colonisation of Mars-relevant brines in the laboratory. 16s rRNA gene sequencing was used to determine the structure of microbial communities that became established following defined incubation periods. These data offer insights into the effects of varied salt stresses on community structure, with implications for Mars habitability.