Publication: The importance of diffusion in the microbial world
Authors
Gacto Fernández, Mariano José ; Vicente Soler, Jerónima ; Cansado Vizoso, José ; Soto, Teresa
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Facultad de Biología
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Publisher
Murcia: Universidad de Murcia, Servicio de Publicaciones
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DOI
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info:eu-repo/semantics/article
Description
Abstract
Una característica destacable de los procariotas es su amplia distribución actual. Los microorganismos aparecieron en la Tierra antes que otros sistemas biológicos, y es posible su continuidad tras la desaparición de otras formas vivientes. Este hecho sugiere que su persistencia descansa en leyes fisicoquímicas simples que deben ser muy estables. El presente trabajo plantea algunas consideraciones teóricas relacionadas con el pequeño tamaño de los microorganismos para destacar que la difusión constituye a microescala un parámetro importante al que el mundo microbiano debe gran parte de su éxito. Debido a su dependencia de la difusión, los procariotas deben presentar necesariamente un pequeño tamaño que no limita, sin embargo, su eficacia metabólica.
One outstanding property of the prokaryotic way of life is its wide occurrence in the current world. Microorganisms appeared on Earth in advance to other biological systems. Likely, they will remain here after the sunset of other living forms. This suggests that their basic endurance must rely upon relatively simple and stable physicochemical laws. In this short review we explore some theoretical considerations related to the characteristic small size of the representatives of the microbial world. We emphasize that diffusion, in particular, is an important driving force at microscale level on which prokaryotes have based great part of their biological success. Because of their dependence on diffusion, this feature imposses necessarily restricted limits to the size of prokaryotes without apparently affecting their efficient performance.
One outstanding property of the prokaryotic way of life is its wide occurrence in the current world. Microorganisms appeared on Earth in advance to other biological systems. Likely, they will remain here after the sunset of other living forms. This suggests that their basic endurance must rely upon relatively simple and stable physicochemical laws. In this short review we explore some theoretical considerations related to the characteristic small size of the representatives of the microbial world. We emphasize that diffusion, in particular, is an important driving force at microscale level on which prokaryotes have based great part of their biological success. Because of their dependence on diffusion, this feature imposses necessarily restricted limits to the size of prokaryotes without apparently affecting their efficient performance.
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Citation
Gacto, M., Vicente-Soler, J., Cansado, J., & Soto, T. (2004). LA IMPORTANCIA DE LA DIFUSIÓN EN EL MUNDO MICROBIANO. Anales De Biología, (26), 179–190.
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