In the past decade, global climate change has come to the forefront of the political and social agenda owing to the growing realization that the Earth's resources are being used in an unsustainable fashion. To highlight the central role of microbial processes in sustainable development, Nature Reviews Microbiology and The ISME Journal present a specially commissioned set of articles that highlight the importance of microorganisms in climatic processes and research the generation of new energy sources.

The topics covered in this Focus include energy conservation by methanogenic archaea, the contributions of soil microorganisms to carbon cycling and global warming and systems biology of the shewanellae. These reviews and perspectives will highlight how microorganisms could contribute to sustainable energy development in the future. The accompanying library collates the most relevant recent publications from across the Nature Publishing Group.


Commentary

Microbes orchestrate life on Earth

George A. Kowalchuk, Susan E. Jones and Linda L. Blackall

doi:10.1038/ismej.2008.61

ISME Journal, 2, 795-796 (2008)

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Reviews

Towards environmental systems biology of Shewanella

James K. Fredrickson, Margaret F. Romine, Alexander S. Beliaev, Jennifer M. Auchtung, Michael E. Driscoll, Timothy S. Gardner, Kenneth H. Nealson, Andrei L. Osterman, Grigoriy Pinchuk, Jennifer L. Reed, Dmitry A. Rodionov, Jorge L. M. Rodrigues, Daad A. Saffarini, Margrethe H. Serres, Alfred M. Spormann, Igor B. Zhulin & James M. Tiedje

doi:10.1038/nrmicro1947

Nature Reviews Microbiology, 6, 592-603 (2008)

The shewanellae are masters of metabolism and can catabolize numerous carbon sources either aerobically or anaerobically using a range of electron acceptors. Ubiquitous among microbial communities from marine to soil environments, this genus is important in carbon cycling and bioremediation. Systems-biology approaches could shed new light on the ecophysiology of these bacteria.

Methanogenic archaea: ecologically relevant differences in energy conservation

Rudolf K. Thauer, Anne-Kristin Kaster, Henning Seedorf, Wolfgang Buckel & Reiner Hedderich

doi:10.1038/nrmicro1931

Nature Reviews Microbiology, 6, 579-591 (2008)

Methanogenic archaea with and without cytochromes have been identified. This Review focuses on differences in energy conservation during the reduction of CO2 with H2 to CH4. In methanogens with cytochromes, the first and last steps are coupled chemiosmotically, and the authors propose that in methanogens without cytochromes, these steps are coupled by a cytoplasmic enzyme complex that mediates flavin-based electron bifurcation.

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Mini-Review

Microbial contributions to climate change through carbon cycle feedbacks

Richard D Bardgett, Chris Freeman and Nicholas J. Ostle

doi:10.1038/ismej.2008.58

ISME Journal, 2, 805-814 (2008)

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Perspective

Pre-genomic, genomic and post-genomic study of microbial communities involved in bioenergy

Bruce E. Rittmann, Rosa Krajmalnik-Brown & Rolf U. Halden

doi:10.1038/nrmicro1939

Nature Reviews Microbiology, 6, 604-612 (2008)

Microbial bioenergy could be used to generate large amounts of carbon-neutral alternatives to fossil fuels. This article discusses the contribution of genomic resources to the generation of bioenergy by bacteria and archaea.

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