A032, Yellowstone National Park, Wyoming, USA, hot springs, 2001

Thermophyte (

Greek Greek may refer to: Greece Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe: *Greeks, an ethnic group. *Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family. **Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...

''thérmos'' = warmth, heat + ''phyton'' = plant) is an

organism In biology, an organism () is any living system that functions as an individual entity. All organisms are composed of cells (cell theory). Organisms are classified by taxonomy into groups such as multicellular animals, plants, and ...

which is tolerant or thriving at high temperatures. These organisms are categorized according to ecological valences at high temperatures, including biological extremely. Such organisms included the hot-spring

taxa In biology, a taxon (back-formation from ''taxonomy''; plural taxa) is a group of one or more populations of an organism or organisms seen by taxonomists to form a unit. Although neither is required, a taxon is usually known by a particular nam ...

also. A large amount of thermophytes are algae, more specifically blue-green algae, also referred to as cyanobacteria. This type of algae thrives in hot conditions ranging anywhere from 50 to 70 degrees Celsius, which other plants and organisms cannot survive in. Thermophytes are able to survive extreme temperatures as their cells contain an “unorganized nucleus”. As the name suggests, thermophytes are found in high temperatures. They can be found in abundance in and around places like freshwater hot springs, such as YellowStone National park and in the Lassen Volcanic National park. __TOC__

Mutualism in Thermophytes

There are instances in which a fungus and plant become thermophytes by forming a symbiotic relationship with one another. Some thermophytes live with a fungal partner in a symbiotic relationship with plants, algae, and viruses. Mutualists like the panic grass and its fungal partner cannot survive individually, but thrive when they are in the symbiotic relationship. This means the fungus, plant, and virus function together to survive in such extreme conditions by benefiting from each other. The fungi typically dwells in the intracellular spaces between the plant's cells. In a study performed at Washington State, it was discovered that panic grass living near the hot springs in Yellowstone National park thrive due to their relationship with the fungus Curvularia protuberata. Neither organism can survive on their own at such high temperatures. The mycoviruses infect the fungi that live within these plants and algae. These mycoviruses prevent the fungi from having a pathogenic effect on the plants, thus preventing the fungus from harming the plant. The panic grass benefits because the fungi potentially help to disperse the heat and alert the plant of any environmental stress that the plant should activate its response. The study at Washington State has led to the discovery of a way to use these relationships between fungi and plants to make crops more thermo-tolerant, allowing them to resist damage by heat. The most famous of these ecological groups of organisms are: *

Deinococcota ''Deinococcota'' (synonym, ''Deinococcus-Thermus'') is a phylum of bacteria with a single class, ''Deinococci'', that are highly resistant to environmental hazards, also known as extremophiles. These bacteria have thick cell walls that give them ...

, including ''

Thermus aquaticus ''Thermus aquaticus'' is a species of bacteria that can tolerate high temperatures, one of several thermophilic bacteria that belong to the ''Deinococcota'' phylum. It is the source of the heat-resistant enzyme ''Taq'' DNA polymerase, one of th ...

'', a species of

bacteria Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...

. *''

Cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

'', blue-green algae. *

Oscillatoria ''Oscillatoria'' is a genus of filamentous cyanobacterium which is often found in freshwater environments, such as hot springs, and appears blue-green. Its name refers to the oscillating motion of its filaments as they slide against each other ...

terebriformis *

Oscillatoria brevis ''Oscillatoria brevis,'' is a species of the genus ''Oscillatoria'' first identified in 1892. It is a Blue-green filamentous cyanobacteria, which can be found in brackish and fresh waterways. ''O. brevis'' can also be isolated from soil. ''Osci ...

*Heterohormogonium (motile cell filaments formed by

cyanobacteria Cyanobacteria (), also known as Cyanophyta, are a phylum of gram-negative bacteria that obtain energy via photosynthesis. The name ''cyanobacteria'' refers to their color (), which similarly forms the basis of cyanobacteria's common name, blu ...

) *

Synechococcus elongatus ''Synechococcus elongatus'' is a unicellular cyanobacterium that has a rapid autotrophic growth comparable to yeast. Its ability to grow rapidly using sunlight has implications for biotechnological applications, especially when incorporating gene ...

Scytonema ''Scytonema'' is a genus of photosynthetic cyanobacteria that contains over 100 species. It grows in filaments that form dark mats. Many species are aquatic and are either free-floating or grow attached to a submerged substrate, while others s ...

Panic grass ''Panicum'' (panicgrass) is a large genus of about 450 species of Poaceae, grasses native throughout the tropical regions of the world, with a few species extending into the northern temperate zone. They are often large, Annual plant, annual or P ...

(panic grass with a fungal association with

Curvularia ''Curvularia'' is a genus of hyphomycete (mold) fungi which can be pathogens but also act as beneficial partners of many plant species. They are common in soil. Most ''Curvularia'' species are found in tropical regions, though a few are found in ...

)

References

{{Reflist Ecology Habitat Cyanobacteria Biology Plants

Mutualism in Thermophytes

See also

References