Protection against lethal freezing temperatures by mucus in an Antarctic limpet |
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| Authors: | A R Hargens S V Shabica |
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| Institution: | 1. Physiological Research Laboratory, Scripts Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037 USA;2. Presently, Department of Bioengineering, School of Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, California 92037 USA;3. School of Oceanography, Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon 97331 USA |
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| Abstract: | The antarctic limpet, Patinigera polaris, is sometimes caught in near-shore ice and exposed to temperatures substantially below ?2 °C. In-frozen animals always secrete an envelope of mucus which prevents extracellular ice propagation down to ?10 °C. Survival in limpets without mucus protection is significantly lower. Ice propagation through limpet mucus is retarded below its equilibrium freezing point in a manner similar to polar fishes. The capacity of mucus as a cryoprotectant has not previously been described. |
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