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Epilithic

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Astrobiology

  • 199 Accesses

Definition

Epiliths are organisms or microbial communities that live on the surface of rocks. Examples are lichens, mosses, biofilms, and desert varnish. Epiliths are generally well adapted to resist environmental extreme conditions, such as large variations in temperature, extreme dryness, and intense solar irradiation. They are sometimes the only colonizers in desert and high-mountain regions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. DLR German Aerospace Center, Institute of Aerospace Medicine, Radiation Biology, Building 24, 51170, Köln, Germany

    Gerda Horneck

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  1. Gerda Horneck
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Correspondence to Gerda Horneck .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Centro de Biología Molecular, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Madrid, Spain

    Ricardo Amils

  2. Labo. d'Astrophysique de Bordeaux (LAB), Observatoire Aquitain des Sciences de l'Univers (OASU), Floirac CX, France

    Muriel Gargaud

  3. Centro de Astrobiología (CAB), Inst. Nacional de Técnica Aeroespacial, Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, Spain

    José Cernicharo Quintanilla

  4. Geophysical Lab., Carnegie Institution of Washington, Washington, District of Columbia, USA

    Henderson James Cleaves

  5. Astronomy Department, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, Massachusetts, USA

    William M. Irvine

  6. Dépt. Sc. de la Terre et de l’Atmosphère, Université du Québec, Montréal, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    Daniele Pinti

  7. Centre National d'Etudes Spatiale (CNES) DPI/E2U, Paris CX, France

    Michel Viso

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

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Horneck, G. (2014). Epilithic. In: Amils, R., et al. Encyclopedia of Astrobiology. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_527-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-27833-4_527-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-642-27833-4

  • eBook Packages: Springer Reference Physics and AstronomyReference Module Physical and Materials ScienceReference Module Chemistry, Materials and Physics

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