Question

It seems plausible that planets and moons with liquid water could support microbial life, even though CO2 is the only available carbon compound and they have negligible oxygen in their atmospheres. Suppose that known bacterial species were being considered for an unmanned probe that would deliver bacteria to one of these planets in order to colonize it. What basic metabolic capabilities should a bacterial species have in order to give it the best chance of successful colonization

Answer 1

The metabolic capacities should be:

Bacteria that fulfill replicative cycles, have a metabolization that requires a substrate or a metabolite, coexist in extreme environments where their method of survival is sporulation.

Ability to admit genetic mutations between different bacterial colonies for their possible evolution, an ideal environment with pH, gases, and substrates according to the life of the bacterial colony, which is often called as a culture medium.

Step-by-step explanation:

Temperature is essential in bacterial growth, as is the pressure and environment that surrounds the bacteria.

Something that must be taken into account is that other microorganisms coexist with the bacteria in the medium, since they can be limited to their colonization, an example of this is the gram negative and positive bacteria, coccoid and bacilloid, which generally are not compatible with the penicillium fungus, as this, as a product of its metabolization, releases a substance called penicillin that prevents the colonizing growth of other species of microorganisms such as this type of bacteria.