biostudies-literatureUnknown15(1)Sommaruga RRecent research on alpine lakes has revealed both novel adaptive strategies and established ones, now examined from a new perspective, that planktonic organisms use to persist under the harsh environmental conditions characteristic of these ecosystems. The 2024 Edgardo Baldi lecture addresses 3 major topics, namely, the multifactorial drivers of photoprotection, emerging mechanisms of microbial solar energy utilization, and virus-mediated facilitation of host survival. Photoprotective phenotypes, including the accumulation of mycosporine-like amino acids and carotenoids, are increasingly recognized as outcomes of complex interactions among ultraviolet radiation exposure, nutrient (particularly nitrogen) availability, temperature fluctuations, and predation pressure. Deciphering this interpInland waters : journal of the International Society of Limnology2497248https://www.ebi.ac.uk/biostudies/studies/S-EPMC12306673biostudies-literatureSurvival strategies of planktonic organisms in alpine lakes and beyond: Baldi Memorial Award Lecture presented at the 37th Congress of the International Society of Limnology.PMC12306673Sommaruga RfalseSurvival strategies of planktonic organisms in alpine lakes and beyond: Baldi Memorial Award Lecture presented at the 37th Congress of the International Society of Limnology.Recent research on alpine lakes has revealed both novel adaptive strategies and established ones, now examined from a new perspective, that planktonic organisms use to persist under the harsh environmental conditions characteristic of these ecosystems. The 2024 Edgardo Baldi lecture addresses 3 major topics, namely, the multifactorial drivers of photoprotection, emerging mechanisms of microbial solar energy utilization, and virus-mediated facilitation of host survival. Photoprotective phenotypes, including the accumulation of mycosporine-like amino acids and carotenoids, are increasingly recognized as outcomes of complex interactions among ultraviolet radiation exposure, nutrient (particularly nitrogen) availability, temperature fluctuations, and predation pressure. Deciphering this interp2025-01-01T00:00:00Z20252026-03-16T06:16:27.902Z2025-08-14T03:06:18.977ZS-EPMC123066734074041910.1080/20442041.2025.2497248