Low-Décarie Etienne, Fussmann Gregor F, Dumbrell Alex J, Bell Graham
School of Biological Sciences, University of Essex, Colchester CO4 3SQ, UK
Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H3A 1B1.
Biol Lett. 2016 Sep;12(9). doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0562.
Organisms that can grow in extreme conditions would be expected to be confined to extreme environments. However, we were able to capture highly productive communities of algae and bacteria capable of growing in acidic (pH 2), basic (pH 12) and saline (40 ppt) conditions from an ordinary freshwater lake. Microbial communities may thus include taxa that are highly productive in conditions that are far outside the range of conditions experienced in their host ecosystem. The organisms we captured were not obligate extremophiles, but were capable of growing in both extreme and benign conditions. The ability to grow in extreme conditions may thus be a common functional attribute in microbial communities.
能够在极端条件下生长的生物预计会局限于极端环境中。然而，我们从一个普通的淡水湖中捕获到了能够在酸性（pH 2）、碱性（pH 12）和含盐（40 ppt）条件下生长的高产藻类和细菌群落。因此，微生物群落可能包括在其宿主生态系统所经历的条件范围之外的条件下仍具有高生产力的分类群。我们捕获的生物并非专性嗜极生物，但能够在极端和良性条件下生长。因此，在极端条件下生长的能力可能是微生物群落中一种常见的功能属性。
