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Desert algae shed light on desiccation tolerance in green plants

Date:
July 6, 2020
Source:
Marine Biological Laboratory
Summary:
Deserts of the US Southwest are extreme habitats for most plants, but, remarkably, microscopic green algae live there that are extraordinarily tolerant of dehydration. After completely drying out, the algae can become active and start photosynthesizing again within seconds of receiving a drop of water. Botanists provide a genetic explanation for the algae's resilience, a new perspective that warrants investigation in plants more generally.
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Deserts of the U.S. Southwest are extreme habitats for most plants, but, remarkably, microscopic green algae live there that are extraordinarily tolerant of dehydration. These tiny green algae (many just a few microns in size) live embedded in microbiotic soil crusts, which are characteristic of arid areas and are formed by communities of bacteria, lichens, microalgae, fungi, and even small mosses. After completely drying out, the algae can become active and start photosynthesizing again within seconds of receiving a drop of water.

How are they so resilient? That question is at the core of research by Elena Lopez Peredo and Zoe Cardon of the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), published this week in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Given the intensified droughts and altered precipitation patterns predicted as the global climate warms, understanding the adaptations that facilitate green plant survival in arid environments is pressing.

Working with two particularly resilient species of green microalgae (Acutodesmus deserticola and Flechtneria rotunda), Peredo and Cardon studied up- and down-regulation of gene expression during desiccation, and added a twist. They also analyzed gene expression in a close aquatic relative (Enallax costatus) as it dried out and ultimately died. Surprisingly, all three algae -- desiccation tolerant or not -- upregulated the expression of groups of genes known to protect even seed plants during drought. But the desiccation-tolerant algae also ramped down expression of genes coding for many other basic cellular processes, seemingly putting the brakes on their metabolism. The aquatic relative did not.

Peredo's and Cardon's research suggests this new perspective on desiccation tolerance warrants investigation in green plants more broadly. Upregulation of gene expression coding for protective proteins may be necessary but not sufficient; downregulation of diverse metabolic genes may also be key to survival.


Story Source:

Materials provided by Marine Biological Laboratory. Original written by Diana Kenney. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


Journal Reference:

  1. Elena L. Peredo, Zoe G. Cardon. Shared up-regulation and contrasting down-regulation of gene expression distinguish desiccation-tolerant from intolerant green algae. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 2020; 201906904 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1906904117

Cite This Page:

Marine Biological Laboratory. "Desert algae shed light on desiccation tolerance in green plants." ScienceDaily. ScienceDaily, 6 July 2020. <www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200706152703.htm>.
Marine Biological Laboratory. (2020, July 6). Desert algae shed light on desiccation tolerance in green plants. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 15, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200706152703.htm
Marine Biological Laboratory. "Desert algae shed light on desiccation tolerance in green plants." ScienceDaily. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/07/200706152703.htm (accessed October 15, 2024).

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