Nematodes Rotifers Tardigrades and Diatoms as Vehicles for the Panspermic Transfer of Microbes (LB51)

Nematodes Rotifers Tardigrades and Diatoms as Vehicles for the Panspermic Transfer of Microbes Sulamain Ali Alharbi 1 , Mohammad A. Khiyami 3 , Reda Hassan Amasha 2 , Bassam Al‐Johnny 2 and Milton Wainwrigh 1,3 1 Department of Botany and Microbiology, College of Science, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2455 Riyadh, 11451, Saudi Arabia. 3 King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology, P.O. Box 6086, Riyadh 11442, Saudi Arabia 2 Biological Sciences Department, faculty of Science‐ KAU, P.O Box: 42799 Jeddah 21551, Saudi Arabia 3 Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, University of Sheffield, S102TN, UK 3 Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology, University of Buckingham, UK Abstract _ Nematodes, rotifers and tardigrades are extremotolerant invertebrates which can survive long periods of stasis brought about by extreme drying and cold. They can also resist the effects of UV radiation, and as result could act as vehicles for the panspermic transfer of microorganisms. Here we show that NRT contain a variety of bacteria and fungi within their bodies in which environment they could be protected from the extremes of the space and released into new cosmic environments. Diatoms were also shown to contain a viable alga and Escherichia coli and so could also act as panspermic vehicles for the transfer of these and perhaps other, microbes through space. Although not studied here, NRT, and possibly diatoms, also carry protozoa and viruses within their bodies and could act as vehicles for the panspermic transfer of an even wider range of microbes than shown here.