New Algae Species Withstands Drought Thanks to Flexible Cell Wall
Tundra near Spitsbergen with new algae species. Photo: Ulf Karsten
The newly discovered algae species Streptofilum arcticum possesses a potentially highly flexible cell wall: When water is scarce, the cell and cell wall shrink; when water becomes available again, the cell wall expands without causing damage. This function explains the evolutionary transition from water to land and provides the algae with advantages in climate adaptation. An international research team led by TU Bergakademie Freiberg, the Universities of Rostock and Innsbruck, and the National Academy Institute in Kyiv has described the species and its cell functions for the first time in a recent publication in the scientific journal Environmental Microbiology. To date, researchers have identified the new algae species in the Arctic tundra on Svalbard and in coastal dunes along the Baltic Sea, indicating a broader regional distribution than previously assumed.