Microbes: overlooked and understudied

Researchers at Penn State University (University Park PA) took a closer look at household water heaters. Using 101 samples collected by citizen scientists in all 50 US states and Puerto Rico, they detected a nearly ubiquitous presence of extremophile bacteria such as Thermus scotoductus, which also...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Frontiers in ecology and the environment 2019-08, Vol.17 (6), p.308-308
Main Author: Murray, Meghan Miner
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
DISPATCHES
Endemism
Geography
Hot springs
Hydrothermal plumes
Hydrothermal vents
Microbial activity
Microorganisms
Vents
Water heaters
Water springs
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Researchers at Penn State University (University Park PA) took a closer look at household water heaters. Using 101 samples collected by citizen scientists in all 50 US states and Puerto Rico, they detected a nearly ubiquitous presence of extremophile bacteria such as Thermus scotoductus, which also occurs naturally in hot springs and hydrothermal vents. Large-scale biogeographic studies like this support the hypothesis that some microbial communities don't follow the same rules of distribution and endemism that larger organisms do. In this case, the presence of extremophile microbes seems to be determined by the characteristics of the preferred environment, not geography.
ISSN:1540-9295
1540-9309
DOI:10.1002/fee.2082