Adaption of Microbial Life to Environmental Extremes: Novel Research Results and ApplicationHelga Stan-Lotter, Sergiu Fendrihan Once considered exceptional rarities, extremophiles have become attractive objects for basic and applied research ranging from nanotechnology to biodiversity to the origins of life and even to the search for extraterrestrial life. Several novel aspects of extremophiles are covered in this book; the focus is firstly on unusual and less explored ecosystems such as marine hypersaline deeps, extreme cold, desert sands, and man-made clean rooms for spacecraft assembly. Secondly, the increasingly complex field of applications from extremophile research is treated and examples such as novel psychrophilic enzymes, compounds from halophiles, and detection strategies for potential extraterrestrial life forms are presented. |
Contents
| 1 | |
Microbial diversity in deep hypersaline anoxic basins | 21 |
Microbial speciation in the geothermal ecosystem | 37 |
Bacterial adaptation to hot and dry deserts | 69 |
life at low temperatures | 87 |
potential for astrobiology and biotechnology | 119 |
Psychrophilic microorganisms as important source for biotechnological processes | 133 |
physiology ecology and biotechnological potential | 173 |
habitability and life detection strategies | 199 |
Extremophiles in spacecraft assembly clean rooms | 231 |
| 263 | |
| 271 | |
List of contributors | 281 |
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Common terms and phrases
16S rRNA acids Actinobacteria activity adaptation alkaline alkaliphilic anaerobic Antarctic Antarctica antibodies Appl Environ Microbiol Archaea assembly clean rooms Astrobiology Bacillus bacteria bacterium biodiversity Biol biomarkers Biotechnol biotechnology brine Cavicchioli cells Chroococcidiopsis clean rooms cold cold-active cold-adapted concentration cyanobacteria Deinococcus Deinococcus radiodurans desert desiccation detection DHABs Earth ecosystems Enache endolithic environmental enzymes extreme environments Extremophiles genome geothermal growth habitats Haloferax halophilic halophilic microorganisms Halorubrum Heidelberg heterotrophic hot springs Hreggvidsson hypersaline Iceland Int J Syst isolated Kristjansson lipases lipids low temperatures Margesin marine Mars Martian Marx JC mechanisms mesophilic metabolic methanogens microbial communities microbial diversity microbial mats microorganisms molecular mud volcano NaCl organisms oxidation Paenibacillus permafrost produced prokaryotes proteins psychrophilic psychrotolerant radiation rRNA salinity samples Schinner F sediments sequences Shewanella soil spacecraft assembly clean species spores Springer strains studies subsurface surface survive Syst Evol Microbiol terrestrial thermophilic Thermus