Biomedical subjects

E I Friedmann

Publications and source records attributed to E I Friedmann.

39 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

PubMed1980

Endolithic microbial life in hot and cold deserts.

Endolithic microorganisms (those living inside rocks) occur in hot and cold deserts and exist under extreme environmental conditions. These conditions are discussed on a comparative basis. Quantitative estimates of biomass are comparable in hot and cold deserts. Despite the obvious differences between the hot and cold desert environment, survival strategies show some commom features. These endolithic organisms are able to 'switch' rapidly their metabolic activities on and off in response to changes in the environment. Conditions in hot deserts impose a more severe environmental stress on the organisms than in the cold. Antarctic desert. This is reflected in the composition of the microbial flora which in hot desert rocks consist entirely of prokaryotic microorganisms, while under cold desert conditions eukaryotes predominate.

Cell Survival↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Long-term productivity in the cryptoendolithic microbial community of the Ross Desert, Antarctica.

Annual gross productivity of the lichen-dominated cryptoendolithic community was calculated from a computer analysis of photosynthetic response based on laboratory measurements of CO2 exchange and three years (1985-1988) of field nanoclimate data. Photosynthetic optimum increased from -3 to 2 degrees C between irradiance levels of 100 and 1500 micromoles photons m-2 s-1, while the upper compensation point rose from 1 to 17 degrees C. The mean yearly total time available for metabolic activity (temperature above -10 degrees C and moisture present) was 771.3 h for horizontal rock, 421.5 h for northeast-oriented sloped rock, and 1042.2 h for a small depression in horizontal rock (the characteristic site of occasional lichen apothecia). The calculated mean gross productivity value for a horizontal rock was 1215 mg C m-2 y-1, and net photosynthetic gain was 606 mg C m-2 y-1. Net ecosystem productivity (annual accretion of cellular biomass) estimated from long-term events amounted to only about 3 mg C m-2 y-1. The difference between these two values may represent the long-term metabolic costs of the frequent dehydration-rehydration and freezing-thawing cycles or of overwintering, and may account for the leaching of organic substances to the rock. The yearly gross productivity of the cryptoendolithic microbial community of the entire Ross Desert area was estimated at approximately 120,000-180,000 kg C. Of this, 600-900 kg C is in microbial biomass, and much of the rest is soluble compounds that leach into the rocks and possibly percolate to the valleys, providing a source of organic matter for lakes, rivers, and soils.

Antarctic Regions↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Characterization of viable bacteria from Siberian permafrost by 16S rDNA sequencing.

Viable bacteria were found in permafrost core samples from the Kolyma-Indigirka lowland of northeast Siberia. The samples were obtained at different depths; the deepest was about 3 million years old. The average temperature of the permafrost is -10 degrees C. Twenty-nine bacterial isolates were characterized by 16S rDNA sequencing and phylogenetic analysis, cell morphology, Gram staining, endospore formation, and growth at 30 degrees C. The majority of the bacterial isolates were rod shaped and grew well at 30 degrees C; but two of them did not grow at or above 28 degrees C, and had optimum growth temperatures around 20 degrees C. Thirty percent of the isolates could form endospores. Phylogenetic analysis revealed that the isolates fell into four categories: high-GC Gram-positive bacteria, beta-proteobacteria, gamma-proteobacteria, and low-GC Gram-positive bacteria. Most high-GC Gram-positive bacteria and beta-proteobacteria, and all gamma-proteobacteria, came from samples with an estimated age of 1.8-3.0 million years (Olyor suite). Most low-GC Gram-positive bacteria came from samples with an estimated age of 5,000-8,000 years (Alas suite).

Arctic Regions↗