The recent discovery of perchlorates on Mars is said to reduce the
prospects of life on Mars. For example see:
http://tinyurl.com/664fah
Not so for lichen and some other species.
Cyano-bacteria, one of the symbionts (photobionts )that make up
lichen, eat perchlorates for lunch:
http://www.planteco.com/perchlorate.html
"Microbial mats (a consortia of cyanobacteria and related
heterotrophic bacteria) are very effective for the remediation of
perchlorate-contaminated water, which may also contain other
pollutants."
Best regards,
Horace Heffner
http://www.mtaonline.net/~hheffner/
