The effect of temperature on the succinate transport system was studied in the arctic Rhizobium strain N31 (isolated from Astragalus alpinus) and in the temperate strain SM2 (isolated from Onobrychis viciifolia). Only one inducible succinate transport system was found in the two strains as indicated by the linear Eadie–Hofstee plot obtained at 10, 15, and 25 °C. The transport of succinate was not affected by arsenate, but was inhibited by carbonyl cyanide m-chlorophenylhydrazone, KCN, and iodoacetate, implying an active process, a proton motive force, and essential sulfhydryl groups in the system. At 25 °C the apparent Km and Vmax values observed were 6.7 and 7.4 μM and 40.8 and 27.9 nmol∙min−1∙mg protein−1 for strains N31 and SM2, respectively. Similar kinetic parameters for succinate transport at 25 °C were obtained with the cells of both strains grown at 10 or 25 °C. However, when transport was measured at 10 °C the Km and Vmax values obtained with strain SM2 were higher for cells cultured at 10 °C than for those cultured at 25 °C, suggesting that this temperate strain might be more affected by low growth temperature than the arctic strain N31. The succinate transport systems in the two strains were affected by temperature in a similar fashion, as indicated by similar Arrhenius plots of Vmax showing a discontinuity at 20 °C and by comparable apparent energy of activation values. These observations suggest that the cold adaptation of strain N31 is not related to a cold adaptation of the succinate carrier.Key words: arctic, Rhizobium, succinate, symbiosis, transport.