Temperature–pH–salinity Limits for Prokaryotic Cell Division

What is it about?

Using data published for 241 prokaryotic (bacterial and archaeal) strains, this paper shows that aerobically respiring taxa exhibit a considerably broader temperature–pH–salinity space for cell division than anaerobically metabolizing taxa. To successfully predict limits for prokaryotic multiplication on the Earth, there is a need for increasingly refined models, as well as a standardized approach to reporting cardinal growth data for newly isolated microbial strains.

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Why is it important?

By producing and comparing the first 'maps of habitability' for several types of microbial metabolism, this study advances our knowledge of the physical and chemical conditions required for life to persist within extreme environments. The evolution of an oxygen-rich atmosphere may have enabled microorganisms to exploit a broader niche space compared with an early, oxygen-poor Earth. However, our results also highlight how anaerobic modes of metabolism can support prokaryotic multiplication under conditions that define present-day limits for life.