Microbial Phylogeny And Evolution

The birth of bacterial genomics since the mid-1990s brought withit several conceptual modifications and wholly new controversies. Working beyond the scope of the neo-Darwinian evolutionary synthesis, a group of leading microbial evolutionists addresses the following and related issues, often with markedly varied viewpoints: ? Did the eukaryotic nucleus, cytoskeleton and cilia also orginate from symbiosis? ? Do the current scenarios about he origin of mitochondria and plastids require revision? ? What is the extent of lateral gene transfer (between "species") among bacteria? ? Does the rDNA phylogenetic tree still stand in the age of genomics? ? Is the course of the first 3 billion years of evolution even knowable?

Life on earth began with bacteria, which now colonize every corner of the planet. As the ancestors of mitochondria, bacteria are also fundamental for our cells. Most bacteria look alike, but have very different functions. Therefore, knowing the functional profile of bacteria helps understand their impact on our life. This book provides a wealth of information on the functional evolution of bacteria in a novel and coherent way. The book is aimed towards scientists as well as those who are curious about the world of bacteria and their relationships with mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, and us.

The extent of lateral gene transfer amongst diverse microbes is raising doubt as to the applicability of the concept of species in the microbial world. Leading microbial evolutionists discuss phylogeny & evolutionary theory in the light of the latest discoveries.

This volume considers the evolution and diversification of early unicellular life.

Life on earth began with bacteria, which now colonize every corner of the planet. As the ancestors of mitochondria, bacteria are also fundamental for our cells. Most bacteria look alike, but have very different functions. Therefore, knowing the functional profile of bacteria helps understand their impact on our life. This book provides a wealth of information on the functional evolution of bacteria in a novel and coherent way. The book is aimed towards scientists as well as those who are curious about the world of bacteria and their relationships with mitochondria, the powerhouses of our cells, and us.

Bacteria have been the dominant forms of life on Earth for the past 3.5 billion years. They rapidly evolve, constantly changing their genetic architecture through horizontal DNA transfer and other mechanisms. Consequently, it can be difficult to define individual species and determine how they are related. Written and edited by experts in the field, this collection from Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology examines how bacteria and other microbes evolve, focusing on insights from genomics-based studies. Contributors discuss the origins of new microbial populations, the evolutionary and ecological mechanisms that keep species separate once they have diverged, and the challenges of constructing phylogenetic trees that accurately reflect their relationships. They describe the organization of microbial genomes, the various mutations that occur, including the birth of new genes de novo and by duplication, and how natural selection acts on those changes. The role of horizontal gene transfer as a strong driver of microbial evolution is emphasized throughout. The authors also explore the geologic evidence for early microbial evolution and describe the use of microbial evolution experiments to examine phenomena like natural selection. This volume will thus be essential reading for all microbial ecologists, population geneticists, and evolutionary biologists.

The great diversity of microbial life is the remaining major reservoir of unknown biological diversity on earth. To understand this vast, but largely unperceived diversity with its untapped genetic, enzymatic and industrial potential, microbial systematics is undergoing a revolutionary change in its approach to describe novel taxa based on genomic/envirogenomic information. The characterization of an organism is no longer bounded by methodological barriers, and it is now possible to fully sequence the whole genome of a strain to study individual genes, or to examine the genetic information by using different techniques. In fact, application of genomics is helping not only to provide a better understanding of the boundaries of genera and higher levels of classification, but also to refine our definition of the species concept. In addition, increased understanding of phylogeny is allowing to predict the genetic potential of microorganisms for biotechnological applications and adaptation to environmental changes. The present Research Topic on “Microbial Taxonomy, Phylogeny and Biodiversity” compiles a collection of papers covering the use of genomic sequence data in microbial taxonomy and systematics, including evolutionary relatedness of microorganisms; application of comparative genomics in systematic studies; or metagenomic approaches for biodiversity studies. We hope that this eBook incentives and encourages researchers for future discussions on microbial taxonomy and phylogenetics.

Welcome to the wonderful world of microbiology! Yay! So. What is microbiology? If we break the word down it translates to "the study of small life," where the small life refers to microorganisms or microbes. But who are the microbes? And how small are they? Generally microbes can be divided in to two categories: the cellular microbes (or organisms) and the acellular microbes (or agents). In the cellular camp we have the bacteria, the archaea, the fungi, and the protists (a bit of a grab bag composed of algae, protozoa, slime molds, and water molds). Cellular microbes can be either unicellular, where one cell is the entire organism, or multicellular, where hundreds, thousands or even billions of cells can make up the entire organism. In the acellular camp we have the viruses and other infectious agents, such as prions and viroids. In this textbook the focus will be on the bacteria and archaea (traditionally known as the "prokaryotes,") and the viruses and other acellular agents.