Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth?
The main forms of terrestrial life in the cold, desolate Ross Desert of Antarctica are lichen-dominated or cyanobacterium-dominated cryptoendolithic (hidden in rock) microbial communities. Though microbial community biomass (as measured by extractable lipid phosphate) was well within the range of va...
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ftpubmed:oai:pubmedcentral.nih.gov:183568 2023-05-15T13:40:09+02:00 Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth? Johnston, Carl G. Vestal, J. Robie 1991-08 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC183568 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16348539 en eng http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC183568 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16348539 General Microbial Ecology Text 1991 ftpubmed 2013-08-29T13:23:43Z The main forms of terrestrial life in the cold, desolate Ross Desert of Antarctica are lichen-dominated or cyanobacterium-dominated cryptoendolithic (hidden in rock) microbial communities. Though microbial community biomass (as measured by extractable lipid phosphate) was well within the range of values determined for other microbial communities, community lipid carbon turnover times (calculated from community lipid biomass, rates of community photosynthetic carbon incorporation into lipids versus temperature, and the in situ temperature record) were among the longest on Earth (ca. 20,000 years). When the temperature is above freezing and moisture is present, moderate rates of photosynthesis can be measured. Lichen communities had a psychrophilic temperature response (maximal rate of 4.5 ng of C h-1 m-2 at 10°C) while cyanobacteria communities had maximal rates at 20 to 30°C (3 ng of C h-1 m-2). These extraordinarily slowly growing communities were not nutrient limited. No significant changes in photosynthetic metabolism were observed upon additions of 100 nM to 1 mM nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and manganese. These simple, tenacious microbial communities demonstrate strategies of survival under conditions normally considered too extreme for life. Text Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica PubMed Central (PMC) Antarctic |
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English |
topic |
General Microbial Ecology |
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General Microbial Ecology Johnston, Carl G. Vestal, J. Robie Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth? |
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General Microbial Ecology |
description |
The main forms of terrestrial life in the cold, desolate Ross Desert of Antarctica are lichen-dominated or cyanobacterium-dominated cryptoendolithic (hidden in rock) microbial communities. Though microbial community biomass (as measured by extractable lipid phosphate) was well within the range of values determined for other microbial communities, community lipid carbon turnover times (calculated from community lipid biomass, rates of community photosynthetic carbon incorporation into lipids versus temperature, and the in situ temperature record) were among the longest on Earth (ca. 20,000 years). When the temperature is above freezing and moisture is present, moderate rates of photosynthesis can be measured. Lichen communities had a psychrophilic temperature response (maximal rate of 4.5 ng of C h-1 m-2 at 10°C) while cyanobacteria communities had maximal rates at 20 to 30°C (3 ng of C h-1 m-2). These extraordinarily slowly growing communities were not nutrient limited. No significant changes in photosynthetic metabolism were observed upon additions of 100 nM to 1 mM nitrate, ammonium, phosphate, and manganese. These simple, tenacious microbial communities demonstrate strategies of survival under conditions normally considered too extreme for life. |
format |
Text |
author |
Johnston, Carl G. Vestal, J. Robie |
author_facet |
Johnston, Carl G. Vestal, J. Robie |
author_sort |
Johnston, Carl G. |
title |
Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth? |
title_short |
Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth? |
title_full |
Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth? |
title_fullStr |
Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth? |
title_full_unstemmed |
Photosynthetic Carbon Incorporation and Turnover in Antarctic Cryptoendolithic Microbial Communities: Are They the Slowest-Growing Communities on Earth? |
title_sort |
photosynthetic carbon incorporation and turnover in antarctic cryptoendolithic microbial communities: are they the slowest-growing communities on earth? |
publishDate |
1991 |
url |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC183568 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16348539 |
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Antarctic |
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Antarctic |
genre |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica |
genre_facet |
Antarc* Antarctic Antarctica |
op_relation |
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC183568 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16348539 |
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1766128728794988544 |