How Bacteria Battle on Water Planets ⚡ экспресс
The goal is to characterize possible ecological conditions on hycean exoplanets (such as K2-18 b) for interpreting biosignatures and understanding the limits of life. For the first time in exoplanet ecology, the Lotka–Volterra equations have been used. A vertical water column was modeled with 1–5 species of anaerobic bacteria, analogous to Earth’s inhabitants of oxygen-free environments and close to predicted hycean conditions. It was found that under such conditions, a wide ecological diversity is possible; dominant phototrophs on the surface outcompete deep-water competitors, similar to bacterial blooming. The inclusion of bacteriophages can cause ecosystem collapse depending on the timing of their appearance, but can also promote diversity. On tidally locked planets, constant illumination stabilizes populations, however peak densities are lower than in scenarios with seasonality. The work represents an initial step toward understanding the ecological diversity of habitable worlds beyond Earth.
Simple equations that describe fox and rabbit cycles have been turned to bacteria on distant exoplanets, like K2-18 b. These worlds hold deep oceans under thick hydrogen skies. Like duckweed on a pond, light-eating microbes cover the sunlit water surface, stealing light from those below.
Researchers simulated an ocean column with five bacterial species. Without viruses, phototrophs monopolize resources—much like an algal bloom turning a lake green. But on planets locked in endless day (one side always facing the star), there are no day-night cycles. Populations stay stable, never surging, though smaller overall.
And here’s the twist: these bacteria might feed not only on light but also on the hydrogen enveloping the planet—a far more abundant fuel.
🎯 Some earthly bacteria thrive on hydrogen, anticipating the atmosphere of distant ocean planets.
🎬 In Stanisław Lem’s ‘Solaris’, a sentient planetary ocean defies comprehension—a literary echo of these microbial rivalries.