Environmental Microbes
Environmental Microbes - Related Videos
08:01
Environmental Sampling of Photosynthetic Microbes and Their Viruses: From Field to Lab
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2025
Here, we describe methods of sampling from the euphotic zones of marine and freshwater ecosystems to isolate cyanophages (and their hosts) and post-sampling processes that enrich single genotypes and characterize virus-host interaction dynamics.
15:27
Extracting DNA from the Gut Microbes of the Termite (Zootermopsis Angusticollis) and Visualizing Gut Microbes
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Cited by 18 •
2007
This video illustrates the technique for extracting DNA from the species of microbes resident in the termite hindgut. The preparation of a wet mount slide, which is useful for visualizing the gut microbial community is also illustrated, and a tour through the species-rich gut environment is given.
10:48
Aseptic Technique in Environmental Science
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Dr. Ian Pepper and Dr. Charles Gerba - The University of Arizona Demonstrating Author: Luisa Ikner Aseptic technique is a fundamental skill widely practiced in the field of environmental microbiology that requires a balance of mindfulness and practice in the laboratory. Proper use of this technique reduces the likelihood of bacterial or fungal contamination of reagents, culture media, and environmental samples. Aseptic technique is also vital to ensure data integrity and...
09:57
Quantifying Environmental Microorganisms and Viruses Using qPCR
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Dr. Ian Pepper and Dr. Charles Gerba - The University of Arizona Demonstrating Author: Bradley Schmitz Quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR), also known as real-time PCR, is a widely-used molecular technique for enumerating microorganisms in the environment. Prior to this approach, quantifying microorganisms was limited largely to classical culture-based techniques. However, the culturing of microbes from environmental samples can be particularly challenging, and...
13:34
Detecting Environmental Microorganisms with the Polymerase Chain Reaction and Gel Electrophoresis
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2023
Source: Laboratories of Dr. Ian Pepper and Dr. Charles Gerba - Arizona University Demonstrating Author: Bradley Schmitz Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is a technique used to detect microorganisms that are present in soil, water, and atmospheric environments. By amplifying specific sections of DNA, PCR can facilitate the detection and identification of target microorganisms down to the species, strain, and serovar/pathovar level. The technique can also be utilized to characterize entire...
FAQs
Environmental microbes affect ecosystems by carrying out decomposition and nutrient transformations that connect organisms to their surroundings. As organic matter is broken down, microbial activity contributes to carbon cycling, while related transformations support nitrogen cycling. These processes also arise from interactions within microbial communities, so studying activity helps explain ecosystem function rather than merely cataloging organisms.
Temperature, moisture, pH, and pollutants can alter how microbial communities respond to their surroundings. Because these factors vary across natural settings and can change over time, they help shape observed patterns of microbial activity and community behavior. Considering these conditions is essential when interpreting ecosystem processes or assessing how environmental change may affect microbial function.
Genomic and culture-independent methods expand analysis beyond organisms that can be examined through cultivation. They help researchers characterize microbial diversity and activity directly within environmental communities, providing a broader view of which organisms are present and how communities function. This approach is especially valuable for linking community changes with ecosystem responses and global environmental change.
Researchers characterize microbial diversity and activity in settings such as soil, water, sediments, and air, using genomic and culture-independent methods. The resulting information can be interpreted alongside environmental conditions, including temperature, moisture, pH, and pollutants. This workflow connects community patterns with ecosystem function and responses to changing conditions across different biological environments.
Microbial activities provide a biological basis for applications such as bioremediation and wastewater treatment because microbes decompose organic matter and transform nutrients. Studying these communities helps connect microbial processes with practical environmental management. Characterizing their diversity and activity can also clarify how treatment-related systems function and how communities respond to differing environmental conditions.
In agriculture, studying microbial communities helps researchers connect microbial diversity and activity with environmental conditions and ecosystem function. This perspective supports investigation of how soil-associated processes respond to changes in temperature, moisture, pH, or pollutants. The resulting knowledge contributes to biological understanding of agricultural environments and supports the agricultural applications identified for environmental microbial research.
Environmental monitoring can use information about microbial diversity and activity to examine altered conditions. By studying communities in soil, water, sediments, or air and relating patterns to pollutants or other environmental shifts, researchers can investigate ecosystem health. These observations also help reveal microbial responses to global change and connect local measurements with broader biological processes.