Acidophile Microbiology in Space and Time.
Author
Johnson, D BarrieQuatrini-Nyqvist, Raquel Clara
Abstract
The study of extreme acidophiles, broadly defined
as microorganisms that grow optimally at pH values
below 3, was initiated by the discovery by Waksman
and Joffe in the early 1900s of a bacterium that was
able to live in the dilute sulfuric acid it generated
by oxidizing elemental sulfur. The number of
known acidophiles remained relatively small until
the second half of the 20th century, but since then
has greatly expanded to include repr...
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The study of extreme acidophiles, broadly defined
as microorganisms that grow optimally at pH values
below 3, was initiated by the discovery by Waksman
and Joffe in the early 1900s of a bacterium that was
able to live in the dilute sulfuric acid it generated
by oxidizing elemental sulfur. The number of
known acidophiles remained relatively small until
the second half of the 20th century, but since then
has greatly expanded to include representative of
living organisms from within all three domains
of life on earth, and notably within many of the
major divisions and phyla of Bacteria and Archaea.
Environments that are naturally acidic are found
throughout the world, and others that are manmade
(principally from mining metals and coal)
are also widely distributed. These continue to be
sites for isolating new species, (and sometimes new
genera) which thrive in acidic liquor solutions that
contain concentrations of metals and metalloids
that are lethal to most life forms. The development
and application of molecular techniques and, more
recently, next generation sequencing technologies
has, as with other areas of biology, revolutionized
the study of acidophile microbiology. Not only
have these studies provided greater understanding
of the diversity of organisms present in extreme
acidic environments and aided in the discovery
of largely overlooked taxa (such as the ultra-small
uncultivated archaea), but have also helped uncover
some of the unique adaptations of life forms that
live in extremely acidic environments. Thanks to
the relatively low biological complexity of these
ecosystems, systems-level spatio-temporal studies
of model communities have been achieved, laying
the foundations for ‘multi-omic’ exploration of
other ecosystems.
This chapter introduces the subject of acidophile
microbiology, tracing its origins to the current status
quo, and provides the reader of this textbook with
general information which provides a backdrop to
the more specific topics described in subsequent
chapters.
Acidophilic
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Book's title
Acidophiles: life in extremely acidic environments.
Publication date of the book
2016Start page
3
End page
16