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  • Brief Communication
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Microbiology

Cyanobacteria track water in desert soils

Nature volume 413, pages 380–381 (2001)Cite this article

Abstract

Cyanobacteria develop as large, cryptic populations in the topsoil of arid land, where plant cover is restricted, water is scarce and harsh microenvironmental conditions prevail. Here we show that some cyanobacteria can actively move in response to wetting or drying events by migrating to the soil surface or retreating to their refuge below. This ability to follow water, which to our knowledge has not been demonstrated before in microbes, may turn out to be important for microbial terrestrial populations in general.

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Figure 1: Vertical migrations of arid-soil cyanobacteria in response to wetting and drying.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology, Arizona State University, Tempe, 85287, Arizona, USA

    Ferran Garcia-Pichel

  2. Laboratoire d'Océanographie Biologique, Université Bordeaux 1, CNRS-UMR-EPOC 5805, 2 Rue du Prof Jolyet, Arcachon, 33120, France

    Olivier Pringault

Authors
  1. Ferran Garcia-Pichel
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  2. Olivier Pringault
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Correspondence to Ferran Garcia-Pichel.

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Garcia-Pichel, F., Pringault, O. Cyanobacteria track water in desert soils. Nature 413, 380–381 (2001). https://doi.org/10.1038/35096640

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