Open AccessGenomics of deep‐sea and sub‐seafloor microbes
Author(s) -
Siezen Roland J.,
Wilson Greer
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
microbial biotechnology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.287
H-Index - 74
ISSN - 1751-7915
DOI - 10.1111/j.1751-7915.2009.00092.x
Subject(s) - archaea , metagenomics , seawater , oceanography , deep sea , biology , ecology , environmental science , bacteria , geology , paleontology , gene , biochemistry
Over two‐thirds of the surface of the earth is covered by oceans, which have an average depth of about 3800 m. As each drop of ocean water contains > 105 cells, the > 1030 microbial cells in the ocean represent the largest reservoir of microbes on earth (Whitman et al., 1998). Communities of bacteria, archaea, protists and unicellular fungi account for most of the oceanic biomass and metabolism. Marine microbes are known to play an essential role in the global cycling of nitrogen, carbon, oxygen, phosphorous, iron, sulfur and trace elements (Karl, 2007).