Habitability Models for Astrobiology

Abstract: Habitability has been generally defined as the capability of an environment to supportlife. Ecologists have been using Habitat Suitability Models (HSMs) for more than four decades tostudy the habitability of Earth from local to global scales. Astrobiologists have been proposingdifferent habitability models for some time, with little integration and consistency betweenthem and different in function to those used by ecologists. Here we review and compare thedifferent models used by ecologists and astrobiologists and suggest how they might beintegrated into new standards. Such standards will help to improve the comparison andcharacterization of potentially habitable environments, prioritize target selections, and studycorrelations between habitability and biosignatures. Habitability models are the foundation ofplanetary habitability science and the synergy between ecologists and astrobiologists isnecessary to expand our understanding of the habitability of Earth, the Solar System, and extrasolar planets.