What's up down there? Microbial diversity in caves
Caves provide relatively accessible sites in which individual species and microbial communities grow to levels approaching 106 cells/gram of rock under near-starvation conditions. • Cave-dwelling oligotrophic microbial species are phylogenetically diverse, with lineages across the breadth of the Bacteria. • Bacterial communities in caves acquire energy by several means, including by breaking down aromatic compounds, fixing gases, and oxidizing reduced metals within rocks. • By interacting with minerals, microbial species play an important role in reshaping the mineral environment of caves, and may help to form features such as stalactites and stalagmites.
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| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | artículo biblioteca |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Society for Microbiology
2007
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| Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/10261/61951 |
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| Summary: | Caves provide relatively accessible sites in which individual species and microbial communities grow to levels approaching 106 cells/gram of rock under near-starvation conditions. • Cave-dwelling oligotrophic microbial species are phylogenetically diverse, with lineages across the breadth of the Bacteria. • Bacterial communities in caves acquire energy by several means, including by breaking down aromatic compounds, fixing gases, and oxidizing reduced metals within rocks. • By interacting with minerals, microbial species play an important role in reshaping the mineral environment of caves, and may help to form features such as stalactites and stalagmites. |
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