Figure 3.

Maximum rates of spore germination (% of total h⁻¹) and germ‐tube development for Xeromyces bisporus FRR 0025 (A and B), Aspergillus penicillioides JH06THJ (C and D) and Eurotium halophilicum (E and F) over a range of pH values, on malt‐extract, yeast‐extract phosphate agar (MYPiA) supplemented with diverse stressor(s), buffered and incubated at 30°C. For X. bisporus, media were supplemented with glycerol (5.5 M)+sucrose (0.4 M); for A. penicillioides with glycerol (5.5 M)+ NaCl (1.2 M) and for E. halophilicum with glycerol (5.5 M)+NaCl (0.25 M)+sucrose (0.25 M), and buffered to give pH values from 2.80 to 9.80 (see Table 2). The red box indicates the pH window selected for an additional study carried out to assess the potency of glycerol as a determinant for the water‐activity limit for life (Experimental procedures; Stevenson et al., in press). Maximum rates of germination and germ‐tube development were determined from the curves (data not shown) and grey bars indicate standard errors.