An annotated checklist of the lichen biodiversity at two Mars analog sites: The Mars Desert Research Station (Utah, USA) and The Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (Nunavut, Canada) recorded during the Mars 160 Mission

By

Sokoloff, Paul
Srivastava, Anushree
McMullin, Richard Troy
Clarke, Jonathan
Knightly, Paul
Stepanova, Anastasia
Mangeot, Alexandre
Laroche, Claude-Michel
Beattie, Annalea
Rupert, Shannon

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2024-10-8

Original Publication

Check list : journal of species lists and distribution

Volume

20

Series / Issue

Issue: 5

Pages

1096--1126

Subjects

Devon Island , floristics , Haughton Crater , Mars Society , Planetary Analog , San Rafael Swell

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

[São Paulo, Brazil] Luís Felipe Toledo 2005-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.15560/20.5.1096

 

Abstract

During the Mars 160 Mission in 2016 and 2017, crews at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS) in Utah, USA and the Flashline Mars Arctic Research Station (FMARS) on Tallurutit (Devon Island), Nunavut, Canada, conducted a collections‑based survey of lichen biodiversity at each of these Martian planetary analogs. Here we present the results of these studies as two annotated checklists, including 35 lichen spe‑ cies from MDRS and 13 species from FMARS, alongside details on the distribution of these species, relevant taxonomic notes, and photos of each species as an identification aid. This work adds to our knowledge of the biodiversity of these unique sites and provides an important baseline for future analog research at these stations.