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Physiological and Ecological Adaptations of Slow-Growing, Heterotrophic Microbes and Consequences for Cultivation

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Uncultivated Microorganisms

Part of the book series: Microbiology Monographs ((MICROMONO,volume 10))

Abstract

There is a large discrepancy between the number of microbes that can be visualized in samples from most natural environments and the small number that grows readily in the laboratory. This anomaly hinders opportunities to advance our understanding of the vast metabolic and evolutionary diversity of microbes, and imposes severe limitations on our capacity to link patterns of ecological diversity with the functioning of microbial communities. This chapter focuses on slow-growing, heterotrophic microbes as a potential source of cultures to represent the remarkable phylogenetic diversity of the microbial world. Despite the obvious advantages conferred upon microbes that leave the most progeny per unit time, chronic limitation of nutrients in many environments selects for microbes that are able to survive and use resources efficiently, even if it involves a trade-off for faster growth when resources are abundant. Understanding the ecological strategies of slow-growing microbes and adjusting expectations for cultivation to match the physiological capabilities of these microbes offer an opportunity to narrow the tremendous gap between the microscopically visible microbes and those that are readily cultivated.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, USA

    Thomas M. Schmidt

  2. Biological Sciences Division, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Richland, WA, 99352, USA

    Allan E. Konopka

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  1. Thomas M. Schmidt
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  2. Allan E. Konopka
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Correspondence to Thomas M. Schmidt .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Biology, Northeastern University, Boston, 02115, U.S.A.

    Slava S. Epstein

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Schmidt, T.M., Konopka, A.E. (2009). Physiological and Ecological Adaptations of Slow-Growing, Heterotrophic Microbes and Consequences for Cultivation. In: Epstein, S. (eds) Uncultivated Microorganisms. Microbiology Monographs, vol 10. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85465-4_11

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