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Microbial Ecosystems, Protection of

  • Living reference work entry
  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Metagenomics

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Synonyms

Conservation of microbial diversity and ecosystem functions provided by microbes; Preservation of microbial diversity and ecosystem functions provided by microbes

Definition

The use, management, and conservation of ecosystems in order to preserve microbial diversity and functioning.

Introduction

Ecosystems collectively determine biogeochemical processes that regulate the Earth system. Loss of biodiversity is generally regarded as detrimental to ecosystems and ecosystem functioning and therefore has been a central issue for environmental scientists during the last decades (Hooper et al. 2012). Microorganisms (i.e., bacteria, archaea, protozoa, and fungi) comprise a major part of the total biomass of organisms inhabiting on Earth and represent the largest source of biodiversity. They play critical roles in biogeochemical processes and ecosystem functioning and are fundamental to many ecosystem services (e.g., soil health, wastewater treatment, nutrient recycling, human health,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Droevendaalsesteeg 10, 50, 6700AB, Wageningen, Netherlands

    Paul L. E. Bodelier

Authors
  1. Paul L. E. Bodelier
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Paul L. E. Bodelier .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, USA

    Karen E. Nelson

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© 2012 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Bodelier, P.L.E. (2012). Microbial Ecosystems, Protection of. In: Nelson, K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metagenomics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_133-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_133-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6418-1

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