Astrobiology includes astroecology, studies of interactions of microorganisms and plants with planetary   materials  in meteorites. The results are important in relation to the origins of life, terraforming and the cosmological future of life in space.
Astroecology 
Interactions between Extraterrestrial Environments and Biota and
the Origins and Cosmological Future of Life

Link to the Society for Life in Space  (SOLIS)
www.panspermia-society.com

- The Interstellar Panspermia Society -
Dedicated to promoting the future of life in space through directed panspermia. Payloads of selected microorganisms will start evolution in new solar systems. Panspermia missions can start  in this century.

Astroecology Links

Astrobiology and Astroecology

A Brief Introduction to Astroecology

1. How can Life exist in space?

- Some researchers in astrobiology believe that microorganisms may exist in space where they are spread through natural panspermia by comets, asteroids and meteorites .

- We can secure that Life will expand in space by missions to seed new solar systems with microbial representatives of cellular life
see   www.panspermia-society.com

- Life will also expand in space when humans start to colonize the Solar System and move beyond.

To understand the prospects for Life, we must know:

- What resources are in found space and how do organisms respond to them? We examined the biological fertilties of planetary materials in meteorites, and found that they can support extraterrestrial life.

- What are our prospects in the Solar System? The nutrients found in asteroids/meteorites can support trillions of humans through the next five billion years of the Sun.

- What is the cosmological future of life? Extraterrestrial life may exists about red and white dwarf stars for trillions of years. Future life, calculated as Biomass Integrated Over Times Astronomical (BIOTA) vastly exceeds the amount of life from the origins of life on Earth to the present.

These subjects are discussed in Resources, Biomass and Populations in Future Periods of Cosmology

2. Astroethics: Why promote Life? -

"It is the human purpose to safeguard and propagate Life and to establish Life as a governing force throughout the universe". More in "The Purpose and Future of Life: The Science and Ethics of Seeding the Galaxy" at www.amazon.com

Astrobiology and Astroecology:
A Summary of Research Findings

Introduction

The likely extraterrestrial habitats are asteroids, planets, space colonies and eventually free space itself. This biota may co-evolve with its space environment. It can affect the minerals, soil, water and atmosphere resources. Astrobiology suggests that, conversely,  these components can affect future evolution of extraterrestrial life in space.

Astrobiology and Astroecology: We have been studying planetary microcosms as models of nutrients and of the growth of bacteria, algae and plants in extraterrestrial materials represented by meteorites.

Results:

- Martian and carbonaceous chondrite materials yield nutrients at levels comparable to productive agricultural soils.

- Concentrated nutrient solutions could form in pores of asteroids and meteorites to support early and future microorganisms.

- A variety of soil micoorganisms, alage and potato and asparagus cultures grew on these extraterrestrial materials.

- Complex microbial ecosystems survived for long periods (over a year) in meteorite-based planetary microcosms.

Conclusions:

- Concentrated solutions in the pores asteroids and meteorites could start and sustain early life.

- Microorganisms can be transported by natural or directed panspermia to new solar systems where they will find fertile soils.

- Martian minerals can be used for planetary terraforming.

- Asteroids can provide carbon sources for organics and agricultural soils for space colonies.

Comments: astrobiology@solis1.com