Twenty years ago, the publication of the first bacterial genome sequence, from Haemophilus
influenzae, shook the world of bacteriology. In this Timeline, we review the first two decades …

▪ Abstract Uncultured microorganisms comprise the majority of the planet's biological
diversity. Microorganisms represent two of the three domains of life and contain vast …

Communities of microscopic plant life, or phytoplankton, dominate the Earth's aquatic
ecosystems. This important new book by Colin Reynolds covers the adaptations, physiology …

Organisms capable of autotrophic metabolism assimilate inorganic carbon into organic
carbon. They form an integral part of ecosystems by making an otherwise unavailable form …

There are probably millions of species in the microorganismal domains Bacteria and
Archaea (the prokaryotes), and we are only just beginning to work out the basic principles …

Our intestine is the site of an extraordinarily complex and dynamic environmentally
transmitted consortial symbiosis. The molecular foundations of beneficial symbiotic host …

Aerobic anoxygenic phototrophs (AAnPs) are common in marine environments and are
associated with photoheterotrophic activity. To date, AAnPs that possess the potential for …

In the open ocean, elevated carbon flux (ECF) events increase the delivery of particulate
carbon from surface waters to the seafloor by severalfold compared to other times of year …

The recent application of molecular phylogeny to environmental samples has resulted in the
discovery of an abundance of unique and previously unrecognized microorganisms. The …

The degradation of plant cell walls by ruminants is of major economic importance in the
developed as well as developing world. Rumen fermentation is unique in that efficient plant …