Respuesta

ambiental al estres
Vida en los extremos

Estrs
Reaccin

fisiolgica del organismo para

afrontar
situaciones
percibidas
como
amenazantes o de demanda incrementada.
Las situaciones de estrs pueden ser
intrnsecas o extrnsecas.
En ecologa se debe principalmente a
cambios en los factores ambientales que
rodean al individuo produciendo dao fsico o
psicologico reversible o irreversible.

Estrs ambiental
En

plantas, la ocurrencia de factores

ambientales desfavorables tales como exceso
y deficiencia en la humedad, alta radiacin,
alta y baja temperatura, salinidad de agua y
suelo, deficiencia de nutrientes, toxicidad y
contaminacion atmosferica.
Pueden conllevar
a afectaciones en el
crecimiento de cultivos (tamao de plantas,
arquitectura,
malformacion
de
organos
vegetales), desarrollo (altura, peso, volumen),
procesos fisiologicos y metabolicos y en su
produccion.

En animales y hombre: Los principales

estresores ambientales se catalogan entre:

Radiacin no ionizante: Radiacin compuesta
por ondas o partcula incapaces de arrancar
electrones de la materia que incide
produciendo, como mucho, excitaciones
electrnicas.
Radiaciones ionizantes: son aquellas
radiaciones con energa suficiente para ionizar
la materia, extrayendo los electrones de sus
estados ligados al tomo.

Extremofilia
Capacidad

inherente
o
adaptada
de
organismos para sobrevivir a condiciones
ambientales fisicoqumicamente extremas
para el hombre.

What is normal and what is extreme?

For any particular property (T, pH, salinity) extreme values are values far from
the typical range for human life

Physical extremes:
- Temperature
- Pressure
- Radiation

Geochemical extremes:
- pH (acidity levels)
- Salinity
- Desiccation
- Oxygen species
- Redox potential

Archaebacteria y
eubacteria
Kingdom Archaebacteria - are

ancient bacteria that live in

extreme environments
Kingdom Eubacteria - are
generally referred to as bacteria
or germs, and are considered
more recent. Most types of
bacteria belong in this kingdom.

Archaebacteria
Live in extreme environments:
high concentrations of salt
extremes of pH and temperature
Methanogens
Halophiles
Thermoacidophiles = live in

extremely hot, acid environments

Methanogens
anaerobic bacteria that get

energy by turning H2 and CO2

into methane (CH4)
live in mud, swamps, and the

guts of cows, humans,

termites and other animals

Halophiles
Are organisms that live in

environments with extremely high

salt concentrations
some extreme halophiles can
live in solutions of 35 % salt.
(seawater is only 3% salt!)
halophile means salt loving
most halophiles are aerobic and
heterotrophic; others are
anaerobic and photosynthetic,
containing the pigment

Diversity of Halophilic
Organisms
halophiles are found in salt

lakes, salt marshes,

subterranean salt deposits, dry
soils, salted meats, hypersaline
seas, and salt evaporation
pools
the Red Sea was named after
the halobacterium that turns
the water red during massive

Thermoacidophiles
Like temperature and pH extremes

Hot = up to 110C
Cold = down to 1C
Acid = as low as pH 2
Alkali = as high as pH 9
they are chemoautotrophs, using H 2S

the first Extremophile was found

about 30 years ago

Extreme Temperatures
Thermophiles - High temperature
Thermal vents and hot springs
May go hand in hand with chemical extremes
Psychrophiles - Low temperature
Arctic and Antarctic
1/2 of Earths surface is oceans between 10C & 40C
Deep sea 10C to 40C
Most rely on photosynthesis

Thermophile Applications
Many industrial processes

involve temperature extremes,

which is a problem for most
enzymes
Enzymes to work on foods that

need to be refrigerated
Perfumes - most dont tolerate
high temperatures
Cold-wash detergents

Chemical Extremes
Acidophiles - Acidic
Again thermal vents and some hot springs
Alkaliphiles - Alkaline
Soda lakes in Africa and western U.S.

Acidophiles
pH 0-1 of waters
at Iron lakes

Alkaliphile
e.g. Mono Lake
alkaline soda lake, pH 9
salinity 8%

Survival Mechanisms
Temperature extremes
Every part of microbe must function at
extreme
Tough enzymes for Thermophiles
Efficient enzymes for Psychrophiles

Many enzymes from these microbes are

interesting for biotechnology processes.

Chemical extremes
Interior of cell is normal
Exterior protects the cell
Acidophiles and Alkaliphiles sometimes excrete
protective substances and enzymes
Acidophiles often lack cell wall
Some moderate halophiles have high concentrations of
a solute inside to avoid pickling

Some enzymes from these microbes are

interesting

Resumen de extremfilos y su ambiente

Lake Vostoc: A model for Life on Europa?