Microbial Diversity in Time and Space

Abstract

The enormous diversity available at the microbial level is beginning to be recognized, but this richness of diversity amongst bacterial and virus species has yet to be cataloged. The number of species of bacteria that have been described is approximately 2,000– 4,000, whereas the estimated total number of bacterial species is approximately 3,000,000, most probably, a significant underestimation. The number of virus species may be in the same range. The role of microorganisms in ecological cycles is just beginning to be more fully understood. For example, viruses have been found to regulate/modulate algal abundance and distribution. Global cycles, including carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and heavy metal cycles, are known to be mediated or influenced by microorganisms. A unique aspect of the diversity of microorganisms is their morphologyl, ranging from the ultramicroscopic to a recently described bacterial species visible to the naked eye. The shapes of bacteria may be rod, spherical, spiral, triangular, pyramidal, and rectangular, in brief, nearly every possible morphology. Morphology and function of bacteria are influenced by the environment, a demonstration of the inter-relationship of diversity and ecological processes. Inventorying and cataloging microbial diversity is a daunting task, requiring ingenuity and creativity, but offering substantial economic and social reward.