A strategy used by some organisms to survive extreme dry spells. During anhydrobiosis their cells come to contain only minimal amounts of water. No metabolic activity is performed. A variety of organisms can become anhydrobiotic, including bacteria, yeast, fungi, plants, insects, the tardigrades (se...
Type: Term Pronunciation: an-hī′drō-bī-ō′sis Definitions: 1. Completely reversible dehydration of live organisms.
anhydrobiosis 1. Dormancy induced by low humidity or by drying out. 2. A state caused by dehydration, in which an organism's metabolism is reduced to an imperceptible level.