Tuyển tập các báo cáo nghiên cứu về sinh học được đăng trên tạp chí sinh học Journal of Biology đề tài: How do terrestrial Antarctic organisms survive in their harsh environment? | Journal of Biology BloMed Central Minireview How do terrestrial Antarctic organisms survive in their harsh environment David A Wharton and Craig J Marshall1 Addresses Department of Zoology and tDepartment of Biochemistry University of Otago PO Box 56 Dunedin 9054 New Zealand. Correspondence David A Wharton. Email Published 29 April 2009 Journal of Biology 2009 8 39 doi jbiol142 The electronic version of this article is the complete one and can be found online at http content 8M 39 2009 BioMed Central Ltd Abstract Anhydrobiosis or extreme desiccation tolerance is one of the strategies that allows terrestrial Antarctic organisms to survive in a harsh environment. A new study in BMC Genomics analyses gene expression in an Antarctic nematode during desiccation and sheds new light on this phenomenon. Antarctic terrestrial organisms live permanently on the continent unlike penguins and seals that only breed there and survive in one of the harshest environments on Earth. Sites that support life are largely limited to regions that are ice free for at least part of the year and which receive meltwater in spring and summer. Living at the limits of life these organisms may be particularly sensitive indicators of climate change and are good models for studying how life survives in extreme environments. Antarctic species show high levels of endemicity and recent molecular studies suggest that many terrestrial Antarctic organisms have ancient origins dating from before the break up of Gondwana 1 . Although controversial there is increasing interest in bioprospecting amongst Antarctic organisms for molecules with practical uses. Life without water Although the most obvious stress faced by organisms in Antarctica is cold and the risk of freezing there are a variety of other stressors that are significant 2 . The most important factor determining their distribution is the presence of liquid water to which organisms must have at .
