Adaptation and acclimation of photosynthetic microorganisms to permanently cold environments.

ABSTRACT: Persistently cold environments constitute one of our world's largest ecosystems, and microorganisms dominate the biomass and metabolic activity in these extreme environments. The stress of low temperatures on life is exacerbated in organisms that rely on photoautrophic production of organic carbon and energy sources. Phototrophic organisms must coordinate temperature-independent reactions of light absorption and photochemistry with temperature-dependent processes of electron transport and utilization of energy sources through growth and metabolism. Despite this conundrum, phototrophic microorganisms thrive in all cold ecosystems described and (together with chemoautrophs) provide the base of autotrophic production in low-temperature food webs. Psychrophilic (organisms with a requirement fo

SUBMITTER: Morgan-Kiss RM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC1393254 | biostudies-literature | 2006 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature