Frost- free zone on leaves revisited

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Einbock, Annika; Conen, Franz
• 署名单位: University of Basel
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-10005
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2407062121
• 发表日期: 2024-06-25
• 关键词: nucleation-active bacteria; ice nucleation; plants

摘要

Particular frost patterns on natural leaves had prompted Yao et al. [Y. Yao et al ., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117 , 6323-6329 (2020)] to investigate the underlying physics. Their work revealed why on corrugated surfaces ice forms on crests and dries out adjacent grooves. In the absence of frost, in contrast, grooves tend to constitute niches on a leaf where microorganisms are less limited by moisture than in other locations. Here, we show that microorganisms able to nucleate ice before it forms on crests can modify the frosting pattern to their advantage. This ability might drive in cold arid environments the association between certain microorganisms and plants.