The role of marine anaerobic bacteria and archaea in bioenergy production

The development of products from marine bioresources is gaining importance in the biotechnology sector. The global market for Marine Biotechnology products and processes was, in 2010, estimated at 2.8 billion with a cumulative annual growth rate of 510% (Børresen et al., Marine biotechnology: a new vision and strategy for Europe. Marine Board Position Paper 15. Beernem: Marine Board-ESF, 2010). Marine Biotechnology has the potential to make significant contributions towards the sustainable supply of food and energy, the solution of climate change and environmental degradation issues, and the human health. Besides the creation of jobs and wealth, it will contribute to the development of a greener economy. Thus, huge expectations anticipate the global development of marine biotechnology. The marine environment represents more than 70% of the Earths surface and includes the largest ranges of temperature, light and pressure encountered by life. These diverse marine environments still remain largely unexplored, in comparison with terrestrial habitats. Notwithstanding, efforts are being done by the scientific community to widespread the knowledge on oceans microbial life. For example, the J. Craig Venter Institute, in collaboration with the University of California, San Diego (UCSD), and Scripps Institution of Oceanography have built a state-of-the-art computational resource along with software tools to catalogue and interpret microbial life in the worlds oceans. The potential application of the marine biotechnology in the bioenergy sector is wide and, certainly, will evolve far beyond the current interest in marine algae. This chapter revises the current knowledge on marine anaerobic bacteria and archaea with a role in bio-hydrogen production, syngas fermentation and bio-electrochemical processes, three examples of bioenergy production routes.(undefined

Ectomycorrhizal Helper Bacteria: The Third Partner in the Symbiosis

In natural conditions, mycorrhizal fungi are surrounded by complex microbial communities, which may trigger various responses, from enhancement of the establishment of mycorrhizal symbiosis to mycelial growth inhibition or cell death. The symbiosis between mycorrhizal soil fungi and higher plants takes advantage of active collaboration with specific helper bacteria. Thus, a symbiosis so far thought of involving two components could be the result of the interaction among at least three different partners. This chapter focuses on the relationship between edible ectomycorrhizal mushrooms and soil bacteria, in particular nitrogen-fixing bacteria associated with Tuber species. The ability of these bacteria to modify nutrient availability during the fructification phase is very important to truffle development. This chapter will also discuss perspectives on the beneficial use of ectomycorrhizal symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria to develop predictive models that could be used to improve the mycorrhization processes with the further aim of obtaining plants infected with Tuber magnatum Pico, the most economically important truffle species that remains difficult to cultivat