Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Ice nucleation activity in lichens.

T L Kieft1

  • 1Department of Biology, New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology, Socorro, New Mexico 87801.

Applied and Environmental Microbiology
|July 1, 1988
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

<sup>86</sup>Kr excess and other noble gases identify a billion-year-old radiogenically-enriched groundwater system.

Nature communications·2022
Same author

Fluctuations in populations of subsurface methane oxidizers in coordination with changes in electron acceptor availability.

FEMS microbiology ecology·2018
Same author

Does aspartic acid racemization constrain the depth limit of the subsurface biosphere?

Geobiology·2013
Same author

Derivation of a growth rate equation describing microbial surface colonization.

Microbial ecology·2013
Same author

A computer simulation of surface microcolony formation during microbial colonization.

Microbial ecology·2013
Same author

Microbiology of vadose zone paleosols in south-central Washington State.

Microbial ecology·2013

Lichens possess unique biological ice nuclei, distinct from bacteria, that are highly active in freezing. This discovery reveals a novel mechanism for ice nucleation in plants, impacting moisture deposition.

Area of Science:

  • Atmospheric Science
  • Mycology
  • Biophysics

Background:

  • Biological ice nucleation is crucial for understanding cloud formation and frost damage.
  • Previous research identified ice nucleation-active bacteria and plant-associated fungi, but lichen-specific nuclei were unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To describe a newly discovered form of biological ice nucleus associated with lichens.
  • To quantify the ice nucleation activity of various lichen species.

Main Methods:

  • Ice nucleation spectra of diverse lichen samples were measured using the drop-freezing method.
  • Lichen substrates and isolated lichen fungi were tested for ice nucleation activity.
  • Tests for bacterial presence, heat stability, and sonication were performed to determine the origin of the nuclei.

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Epilithic lichens (Rhizoplaca, Xanthoparmelia, Xanthoria) exhibited high ice nucleation densities (up to 10^7 nuclei/g at -5°C), active at -2.3°C.
  • Lichen-associated ice nuclei were nonbacterial, heat-stable, and sonication-resistant.
  • An axenic culture of Rhizoplaca chrysoleuca showed significant ice nucleation activity.

Conclusions:

  • Lichens harbor unique, nonbacterial biological ice nuclei.
  • These lichen-associated ice nuclei are significantly more abundant and active at warmer temperatures than previously known plant-associated ice nucleators.
  • The findings suggest lichens may benefit from enhanced moisture deposition via ice nucleation, aiding their frost tolerance and atmospheric moisture dependence.