Bacteria Use Light to Anticipate and Prepare for Drought

By Andi Anderson

Iowa State University researchers have discovered that several types of bacteria use light to anticipate and prepare for an imminent loss of water from their environment. This finding sheds new light on how bacteria interact with their environment and has implications for future research in agriculture and other fields.

Key findings:

• Non-photosynthetic bacteria use light as a cue to anticipate a coming stress.
• This allows them to accumulate compounds and prepare for water loss.
• The bacteria respond to light even before warming and drying conditions begin.
• This anticipatory behavior may give the bacteria a competitive edge for survival.

Research details:

• The study was conducted on Pseudomonas syringae, a common resident of plant leaves.
• Researchers found that light-sensing proteins in the bacteria influence the expression of genes that help them survive periods of drying.
• Experiments confirmed that the bacteria's responses are based on discrete events – first exposure to light, then exposure to drying.
• Light affected almost one-third of the bacteria's genes, suggesting a significant evolutionary advantage.

Implications:

• This research helps build the case for bacteria having anticipatory strategies to improve their fitness.
• It could inform research on developing smarter, more sustainable crop protection products.
• Further research is needed to determine how widespread this ability is among bacteria.

This study demonstrates a surprising level of sophistication in bacteria and highlights the importance of light in their lives.

Photo Credit: Igor-stevanovic