Bacteria Detect Changes in Seasons: Microbial Minutes
Scientists discovered that cyanobacteria anticipate changes in season, showing that bacteria exposed to short, winter-like days survive cold better than those exposed to long, summer-like days.
What's Hot in the Microbial Sciences?
When winter is coming, can bacteria tell? Recent research shows that cyanobacteria—the oldest photosynthetic organisms on Earth—anticipate the change in seasons by way of their circadian clock. Specifically, exposure to short winter-like days enhances cyanobacterial resistance to cold, a response that lasts multiple generations. What can this tell us about the evolution of so-called photoperiodic timekeeping? And can we use it to understand the survival of diverse organisms in a changing climate? Key takeaways and resources used in this Microbial Minutes are below.Key Takeaways
- The ability of plants and animals to measure differences in day and night length, known as photoperiodic time measurement, is key to anticipating seasonal transformations, like temperature changes.
- Cyanobacteria exposed to 8 cycles of short days (8 hrs of light, 16 hrs of dark) survive 2-3 times better than those exposed to either equal day/night length or long days (16 hrs light, 8 hrs dark), suggesting the bacteria can use the light cues to anticipate the subsequent change in temperature.
- This response was dependent on a functional circadian clock. Exposure to at least 4 light/dark cycles was also important, indicating the bacteria must sense that there is a shift in the “norm” to trigger a response.
- The results suggest the ability to measure differences in day/night length, and respond accordingly, may have first evolved in prokaryotes. Having a microbial system to study photoperiodic responses will be valuable as we try to understand survival and adaptation of diverse organisms in a changing climate.
Sources
The Study
- Jabbur, M.L., et al. Bacteria can anticipate the seasons: Photoperiodism in cyanobacteria. .
Additional Resources
- Barron, M. Bacterial Circadian Rhythms: From Lakes to the Gut. American Society for 棉花糖直播, May 21, 2021.
- Barron, M. Do Microbes Have Memory? American Society for 棉花糖直播, Aug. 21, 2024.
- Flick, A. Researchers Discover the Evolution of Seasonal Anticipation in Cyanobacteria. .
- Galvin, A. ‘Ice bucket challenge’ reveals that bacteria can anticipate the seasons. .
We want to hear from you! Please take 2-3 minutes to fill out the survey linked below. Your answers will help us improve future Microbial Minutes. And don't forget to subscribe to 棉花糖直播's YouTube channel to be notified whenever a new video drops.
