Microbial Community Structure and Metabolic Networks in Polar Areas
A special issue of Life (ISSN 2075-1729). This special issue belongs to the section "Microbiology".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (26 March 2021) | Viewed by 4200
Special Issue Editor
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Polar regions have attracted the attention of researchers as they are one of the main climate engines of our planet. The arctic and antarctic zones are undergoing drastic changes due to their high sensitivity to global warming. High altitude areas have been successfully colonized by numerous microorganisms specially adapted to extreme environments. The microbial community structure in polar areas is highly vulnerable to changes in climate. These regions are not only rich in biodiversity, but also in new mechanisms of adaptation to the environment since selection acts with a special intensity. These features make them unique for the study and protection of the biological heritage.
The study of the metabolic potential of polar microorganisms has considerably developed due to molecular techniques such as genomics, transcriptomics, and proteomics. Metabolic networks that have been identified in microorganisms from polar regions are of interest for various reasons: (i) these microorganisms are one of the main pillars in polar ecosystems since they are the base of food webs; (ii) the study of their metabolic networks allows the establishment of their relationship with biogeochemical cycles in polar regions; (iii) they are of interest in industry since they contain molecular machines that have been used in disciplines such as biotechnology, clinical research, or food technology; and (iv) the microorganisms of polar regions are able to maintain an active metabolism at below zero temperatures, making them an object of study in many research fields including astrobiology.
This Special Issue focuses on all these aspects in a collection of both reviews and original articles concerning ecology, community structure, and metabolic networks of microorganisms in polar areas and their implication in other areas such as biotechnology and astrobiology.
Dr. Cristina Cid
Guest Editor
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- Microbiology
- Arctic
- Antarctic
- Poles
- Genomics
- Proteomics
- Cell cultures
- Community structure
- Metabolic networks
- Biogeochemical cycles
