Approaches to understanding the ecology and evolution of understudied terrestrial archaeal ammonia-oxidisers

Cecile Gubry-Rangin* (Corresponding Author), William Williams, James I Prosser

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Citations (Scopus)
17 Downloads (Pure)

Abstract

Ammonia oxidising archaea (AOA) form a phylogenetic group within the phylum Thaumarchaeota and are of ecological significance due to their role in nitrification, an important biogeochemical process. Previous research has provided information on their ecosystem role and potential physiological characteristics, for example, through analyses of their environmental distribution, ecological adaptation and evolutionary history. However, most AOA diversity, assessed using several environmental marker genes, is not represented in laboratory cultures, with consequent gaps in knowledge of their physiology and evolution. This article critically reviews existing and developing approaches for the assessment of AOA function and diversity and their potential to provide a deeper understanding of these ecologically important, but understudied microorganisms.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)619-328
Number of pages10
JournalEmerging Topics in Life Sciences
Volume2
Issue number4
Early online date22 Nov 2018
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2018

Bibliographical note

Funded by The Royal Society

Keywords

  • soil
  • nitrification
  • pH
  • ammonia
  • microcosm
  • culture
  • genome
  • amoA gene
  • phylogeny

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Approaches to understanding the ecology and evolution of understudied terrestrial archaeal ammonia-oxidisers'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this