TY - CHAP
T1 - Chapter One: Geomicrobiology and Metagenomics of Terrestrisl Deep Subsurface Microbiomes
AU - Itävaara, Merja
AU - Salavirta, Heikki
AU - Marjamaa, Kaisa
AU - Ruskeeniemi, T.
PY - 2016
Y1 - 2016
N2 - Fractures in the deep subsurface of Earth's crust are
inhabited by diverse microbial communities that
participate in biogeochemical cycles of the Earth. Life
on Earth, which arose c. 3.5e4.0 billion years ago,
reaches down at least 5 km in the crust. Deep mines,
caves, and boreholes have provided scientists with
opportunities to sample deep subsurface microbiomes and
to obtain information on the species diversity and
functions. A wide variety of bacteria, archaea,
eukaryotes, and viruses are now known to reside in the
crust, but their functions are still largely unknown. The
crust at different depths has varying geological
composition and hosts endemic microbiomes accordingly.
The diversity is driven by geological formations and
gases evolving from deeper depths. Cooperation among
different species is still mostly unexplored, but viruses
are known to restrict density of bacterial and archaeal
populations. Due to
the complex growth requirements of the deep subsurface
microbiomes, the new knowledge about their diversity and
functions is mostly obtained by molecular methods, eg,
meta'omics'. Geomicrobiology is a multidisciplinary
research area combining disciplines from geology,
mineralogy, geochemistry, and microbiology.
Geomicrobiology is concerned with the interaction of
microorganisms and geological processes. At the surface
of mineralogical or rock surfaces, geomicrobial processes
occur mainly under aerobic conditions. In the deep
subsurface, however, the environmental conditions are
reducing and anaerobic. The present chapter describes the
world of microbiomes in deep terrestrial geological
environments as well as metagenomic and
metatranscriptomic methods suitable for studies of these
enigmatic communities.
AB - Fractures in the deep subsurface of Earth's crust are
inhabited by diverse microbial communities that
participate in biogeochemical cycles of the Earth. Life
on Earth, which arose c. 3.5e4.0 billion years ago,
reaches down at least 5 km in the crust. Deep mines,
caves, and boreholes have provided scientists with
opportunities to sample deep subsurface microbiomes and
to obtain information on the species diversity and
functions. A wide variety of bacteria, archaea,
eukaryotes, and viruses are now known to reside in the
crust, but their functions are still largely unknown. The
crust at different depths has varying geological
composition and hosts endemic microbiomes accordingly.
The diversity is driven by geological formations and
gases evolving from deeper depths. Cooperation among
different species is still mostly unexplored, but viruses
are known to restrict density of bacterial and archaeal
populations. Due to
the complex growth requirements of the deep subsurface
microbiomes, the new knowledge about their diversity and
functions is mostly obtained by molecular methods, eg,
meta'omics'. Geomicrobiology is a multidisciplinary
research area combining disciplines from geology,
mineralogy, geochemistry, and microbiology.
Geomicrobiology is concerned with the interaction of
microorganisms and geological processes. At the surface
of mineralogical or rock surfaces, geomicrobial processes
occur mainly under aerobic conditions. In the deep
subsurface, however, the environmental conditions are
reducing and anaerobic. The present chapter describes the
world of microbiomes in deep terrestrial geological
environments as well as metagenomic and
metatranscriptomic methods suitable for studies of these
enigmatic communities.
KW - deep biosphere
KW - biogeochemistry
KW - terrestrial
KW - deep life
KW - metagenomics
U2 - 10.1016/bs.aambs.2015.12.001
DO - 10.1016/bs.aambs.2015.12.001
M3 - Chapter or book article
SN - 978-0-12-804803-0
T3 - Advances in Applied Microbiology
SP - 1
EP - 77
BT - Advances in Applied Microbiology
A2 - Sariaslani, Sima
A2 - Gadd, Michael
PB - Elsevier
ER -