Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators
Forty years ago, lichens were identified as extraordinary biological ice nucleators (INs) that enable ice formation at temperatures close to 0 ∘ C. By employing INs, lichens thrive in freezing environments that surpass the physiological limits of other vegetation, thus making them the majority of ve...
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ftcopernicus:oai:publications.copernicus.org:bg108358 2023-07-30T04:01:54+02:00 Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators Eufemio, Rosemary J. Almeida Ribeiro, Ingrid Sformo, Todd L. Laursen, Gary A. Molinero, Valeria Fröhlich-Nowoisky, Janine Bonn, Mischa Meister, Konrad 2023-07-14 application/pdf https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2805-2023 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/2805/2023/ eng eng doi:10.5194/bg-20-2805-2023 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/2805/2023/ eISSN: 1726-4189 Text 2023 ftcopernicus https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2805-2023 2023-07-17T16:24:17Z Forty years ago, lichens were identified as extraordinary biological ice nucleators (INs) that enable ice formation at temperatures close to 0 ∘ C. By employing INs, lichens thrive in freezing environments that surpass the physiological limits of other vegetation, thus making them the majority of vegetative biomass in northern ecosystems. Aerosolized lichen INs might further impact cloud glaciation and have the potential to alter atmospheric processes in a warming Arctic. Despite the ecological importance and formidable ice nucleation activities, the abundance, diversity, sources, and role of ice nucleation in lichens remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the ice nucleation capabilities of lichens collected from various ecosystems across Alaska. We find ice nucleating activity in lichen to be widespread, particularly in the coastal rainforest of southeast Alaska. Across 29 investigated lichen, all species show ice nucleation temperatures above −15 ∘ C, and ∼30 % initiate freezing at temperatures above −6 ∘ C. Concentration series of lichen ice nucleation assays in combination with statistical analysis reveal that the lichens contain two subpopulations of INs, similar to previous observations in bacteria. However, unlike the bacterial INs, the lichen INs appear as independent subpopulations resistant to freeze–thaw cycles and against temperature treatment. The ubiquity and high stability of the lichen INs suggest that they can impact local atmospheric processes and that ice nucleation activity is an essential trait for their survival in cold environments. Text Arctic Alaska Copernicus Publications: E-Journals Arctic Biogeosciences 20 13 2805 2812 |
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Open Polar |
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Copernicus Publications: E-Journals |
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ftcopernicus |
language |
English |
description |
Forty years ago, lichens were identified as extraordinary biological ice nucleators (INs) that enable ice formation at temperatures close to 0 ∘ C. By employing INs, lichens thrive in freezing environments that surpass the physiological limits of other vegetation, thus making them the majority of vegetative biomass in northern ecosystems. Aerosolized lichen INs might further impact cloud glaciation and have the potential to alter atmospheric processes in a warming Arctic. Despite the ecological importance and formidable ice nucleation activities, the abundance, diversity, sources, and role of ice nucleation in lichens remain poorly understood. Here, we investigate the ice nucleation capabilities of lichens collected from various ecosystems across Alaska. We find ice nucleating activity in lichen to be widespread, particularly in the coastal rainforest of southeast Alaska. Across 29 investigated lichen, all species show ice nucleation temperatures above −15 ∘ C, and ∼30 % initiate freezing at temperatures above −6 ∘ C. Concentration series of lichen ice nucleation assays in combination with statistical analysis reveal that the lichens contain two subpopulations of INs, similar to previous observations in bacteria. However, unlike the bacterial INs, the lichen INs appear as independent subpopulations resistant to freeze–thaw cycles and against temperature treatment. The ubiquity and high stability of the lichen INs suggest that they can impact local atmospheric processes and that ice nucleation activity is an essential trait for their survival in cold environments. |
format |
Text |
author |
Eufemio, Rosemary J. Almeida Ribeiro, Ingrid Sformo, Todd L. Laursen, Gary A. Molinero, Valeria Fröhlich-Nowoisky, Janine Bonn, Mischa Meister, Konrad |
spellingShingle |
Eufemio, Rosemary J. Almeida Ribeiro, Ingrid Sformo, Todd L. Laursen, Gary A. Molinero, Valeria Fröhlich-Nowoisky, Janine Bonn, Mischa Meister, Konrad Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators |
author_facet |
Eufemio, Rosemary J. Almeida Ribeiro, Ingrid Sformo, Todd L. Laursen, Gary A. Molinero, Valeria Fröhlich-Nowoisky, Janine Bonn, Mischa Meister, Konrad |
author_sort |
Eufemio, Rosemary J. |
title |
Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators |
title_short |
Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators |
title_full |
Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators |
title_fullStr |
Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators |
title_full_unstemmed |
Lichen species across Alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators |
title_sort |
lichen species across alaska produce highly active and stable ice nucleators |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2805-2023 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/2805/2023/ |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic Alaska |
genre_facet |
Arctic Alaska |
op_source |
eISSN: 1726-4189 |
op_relation |
doi:10.5194/bg-20-2805-2023 https://bg.copernicus.org/articles/20/2805/2023/ |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-20-2805-2023 |
container_title |
Biogeosciences |
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20 |
container_issue |
13 |
container_start_page |
2805 |
op_container_end_page |
2812 |
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1772812643738845184 |