Environmental Microbiology (EMI) is dedicated to advancing our understanding of microbial interactions and microbial processes in the environment. Environmental microbiology is the study of the composition and physiology of microbial communities in the environment. The environment in this case means the soil, water, air and sediments that cover the planet and may also include the animals and plants that inhabit these areas. Environmental microbiology also includes the study of microorganisms that exist in artificial environments such as bioreactors.
Molecular biology has revolutionized the study of microorganisms in the environment and has improved our understanding of the composition, phylogeny and physiology of microbial communities. The current set of molecular tools encompasses a range of DNA-based technologies and new methods for studying RNA and proteins extracted from environmental samples. There is now a greater emphasis on the application of "erotic" approaches to determining the identities and functions of microbes inhabiting different environments.
Microbial life is incredibly diverse and microorganisms literally cover the planet. It is estimated that we know less than 1% of microbial species on Earth. Microorganisms can survive in some of the most extreme environments on the planet and some can survive high temperatures, often above 100 ° C, as found in geysers, black smokers and oil wells. Some are found in very cold habitats and others in very saline, acidic or alkaline water.
An average gram of soil contains approximately one billion (1,000,000,000) microbes probably representing several thousand species. Microorganisms have a special impact on the entire biosphere. They are the backbone of ecosystems in areas where light can not approach. In these areas, chemosynthetic bacteria are present that provide energy and carbon to the other organisms. Some microbes are decomposers that have the ability to recycle nutrients. Therefore, microbes play a special role in biogeochemical cycles. Microbes, especially bacteria, are of great importance in the sense that their symbiotic relationship (positive or negative) has special effects on the ecosystem.
Microorganisms are cost-effective agents for the in situ remediation of domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes and subsurface contamination in soils, sediments and marine environments. The ability of each microorganism to degrade toxic waste depends on the nature of each contaminant. Since most sites are typically composed of multiple types of pollutants, the most effective bio-degradation microbial approach is to use a mixture of species / bacterial strains, each specific for the degradation of one or more types of contaminants. It is vital to monitor the composition of the indigenous and bacterial consortium added to assess the activity level of the bacteria and allow modifications of the nutrients and other conditions to optimize the bioremediation process.