Author(s): Surbhi Kharwar

Abstract: Cyanobacteria are the primary colonizers of every possible habitat ranging from hot to cold ecosystems. The predominant biota in the cold environment are glaciers, ice shelves, glacial melt water streams, and ice-capped lakes. To withstand such extreme environmental condition, they adapt several strategies which are known to play a crucial role in overcoming the challenges. Researchers have reported different survival strategies are adopted by these cyanobacteria such as modulations in the growth, photosynthetic processes, production of extracellular polymeric substances, carbon metabolism, produce compounds like membrane proteins, antifreeze proteins, antioxidants, secondary metabolites, and many more. However, the detailed understanding of the adaptive strategies of cyanobacteria in the photosynthetic pathway to cope with these niches has been overlooked. Therefore, the present literature review highlights the recent findings in photosynthetic adaptations in cyanobacterial species inhabiting polar regions.

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