[Survival of bacteria in the Artificial Mars unit]

The survival of bacteria was studied in the "Artificial Mars" apparatus reproducing a complex of physical extreme factors. Bacteria isolated from microbiocenoses subjected to the action of chemical extreme factors (hydrogen peroxide, catalytically active minerals) were shown to be most resistant among soil heterotrophic bacteria. Cells in the resting state caused by dehydration survived better than vegetative cells. It has been concluded that microorganisms quite different in their physiological requirements and ecological properties can exist in the habitats extreme for life conditions.