Researchers have discovered "genetic secrets" to extreme microbes that can survive in Antarctica's saltiest lake where the frigid water can drop below 20 degree Celsius.
"The lake has the distinction of being the least productive lake ever recorded, with very little able to grow in it," team leader Professor Rick Cavicchioli, of the UNSW School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, a UNSW news release reported.
"Deep Lake" was formed about 3,500 years ago when the Antarctic continent rose up around it and "isolated a part of the ocean."
Researchers took water samples from various depths of the ancient lake and analyzed the genetic sequencing of the microbes that lived there in hopes of finding out how they adapted to the harsh conditions.
They found haloarchaea, a group of "promiscuous" microbes that swap DNA, in the icy waters.
"But our research shows these ones swap much more genetic material with each other than has been observed in the natural environment before. Long stretches of virtually identical DNA are exchanged between different genera, not just species," Cavicchioli said.
"Despite this rampant gene swapping, the different species are maintained and can co-exist because they have evolved to exploit different niches and consume different food sources," he said.
Some of the microbes consume proteins in the water while others live off algae and sugars on lake's surface. The haloarchaea grow slowly and produce about six generations per year.
The microbes could help develop ways to lower the cost of certain industries.
"Enzymes from cold-adapted microbes could have significant value. Their high activity in cold temperatures could provide reduced energy costs for processes that would otherwise require heating, such as cleaning, or which must be carried out at cold temperatures, such as food production or bioremediation of cold, contaminated sites," Cavicchioli said.
"[The findings illustrate] just how valuable and unique Antarctic lakes can be and why Antarctica needs to be protected so societies the world over can benefit for years to come," he said.
