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Antarctic Worms: Thriving in the Cold with Bacterial Help
Context:
The study, published in Science Advances, highlights the vital role of microbe-host interactions in marine ecosystems, and provides important insights into how microorganisms help maintain the survival of marine organisms.
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- Researchers sampled coastal areas in Antarctica’s Ross Sea, identifying common marine worm species.
- Analysis revealed bacteria within these worms not found in sediment or related species.
Antarctic marine worms, close relatives of earthworms known as polychaetes, have a remarkable survival strategy in the frigid waters of the Southern Ocean.
- These worms rely on specialised bacteria that produce proteins to prevent freezing.
- The Mystery of Cold Survival: Antarctic waters are exceptionally cold, and most organisms there do not produce their own antifreeze proteins.
- Like icefish, make their own antifreeze proteins, Polychaetes, also manage to survive these extreme conditions.
- Microbial Partnerships: Discovery revealed that three different species of Antarctic polychaetes harbour specialised bacteria.
- Including Meiothermus silvanus and two types of Anoxybacillus, play a crucial role in the worms’ survival.
- Cold-Tolerance Proteins: Two enzymatic proteins produce glycerol and proline to protect against extreme cold by lowering the freezing point of internal liquids.
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- This prevents the worms from freezing to death.
- Long-Term Connection: Meiothermus bacteria are missing from today’s Antarctic ocean floor, they have been found in frozen sediment beneath the nearby Ross Ice Shelf.
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- Researchers believe that the bacteria are passed down from parent worms to their offspring.
- The Importance of Microbes:
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- This study highlights the critical role of microbes in host survival.
- Understanding host-microbe interactions in the ocean remains an area of ongoing research.