biogeochemistry
Genetics and Molecular BiologyAxenic Biofilm Formation and Aggregation by Synechocystis sp. Strain PCC 6803 Are Induced by Changes in Nutrient Concentration and Require Cell Surface StructuresMicrobes can exist as suspensions of individual cells in liquids and also commonly form multicellular communities attached to surfaces. Surface-attached communities, called biofilms, can confer antibiotic resistance to pathogenic bacteria during infections and establish food webs for global nutrient cycling in the environment. Phototrophic biofilm formation is one of the earliest phenotypes visible in the fossil record, dating back over...
- Environmental Microbiology | SpotlightFilamentous Giant Beggiatoaceae from the Guaymas Basin Are Capable of both Denitrification and Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium
Whether large sulfur bacteria of the family Beggiatoaceae reduce NO3− to N2 via denitrification or to NH4+ via DNRA has been debated in the literature for more than 25 years. We resolve this debate by showing that certain members of the Beggiatoaceae...
- Environmental Microbiology | SpotlightThe Tale of a Neglected Energy Source: Elevated Hydrogen Exposure Affects both Microbial Diversity and Function in Soil