title: Four kingdoms on glacier ice: convergent energetic processes boost energy levels as temperatures fall.
abstract: A diverse group of glacially obligate organisms coexist on temperate glaciers between Washington State and Alaska. A fundamental challenge for these and other cold-adapted species is the necessity to maintain an energy flux capable of sustaining life at low physiological temperatures. We show here that ice-adapted psychrophiles from four kingdoms (Animalia, Eubacteria, Fungi, Protista) respond to temperature fluctuations in a similar manner; namely, ATP levels and the total adenylate pool increase as temperatures fall (within their viable temperature limits, respectively), yet growth rate increases with temperature. By contrast, mesophilic representatives of each kingdom respond in an opposite manner (i.e. adenylates increase with temperature). These observations suggest that elevated adenylate levels in psychrophiles may offset inherent reductions in molecular diffusion at low physiological temperatures.
authors.affiliation: Biology Department, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Camden, NJ 08102, USA.
authors.forename: Michael J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Napolitano
authors.forename: Daniel H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Shain
mesh_terms: D000222:Adaptation, Physiological; D000227:Adenine Nucleotides / Q000378:metabolism; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000378:metabolism; D000413:Alaska; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D000818:Animals; D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism*; D004734:Energy Metabolism / Q000502:physiology; D056890:Eukaryota / Q000378:metabolism*; D005658:Fungi / Q000378:metabolism*; D046448:Ice Cover / Q000382:microbiology*; D008156:Luciferases; D009835:Oligochaeta / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000382:microbiology; D013056:Spectrophotometry, Ultraviolet; D013696:Temperature
chemical_list: D000227:Adenine Nucleotides; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; D008156:Luciferases