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Microbial Genomes That Drive Earth’s Biogeochemical Cycles

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Encyclopedia of Metagenomics

Synonym

Metagenomics for the analysis of biogeochemical pathways

Definition

Biogeochemical cycle: the combined movement, by biology and geology, of chemical elements between Earth’s biosphere and its abiotic reservoirs. Especially important are those involving the main building blocks of life: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.

Introduction

A network of biotic and abiotic mechanisms maintains global elemental cycling, also called biogeochemistry. An important step in understanding global elemental cycling is determining the role of organisms and their communities in these processes. At the interaction of the living and nonliving world, life is powered by coupling its endergonic reactions to favorable electron-transfer reactions, changing the environment in the process.

The present network of Earth’s electron donors, acceptors, and electron-transfer pathways uses mainly solar energy to support life and to continue cycling of its most basic building blocks, H, C,...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Departments of Geological Sciences & Marine & Coastal Sciences, Institute of Marine & Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 71 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901-8525, USA

    Paul Falkowski

  2. Environmental Biophysics and Molecular Ecology Laboratory, Institute of Marine and Coastal Sciences, Rutgers University, 71 Dudley Road, New Brunswick, NJ, 08901-8525, USA

    Benjamin I. Jelen

Authors
  1. Paul Falkowski
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  2. Benjamin I. Jelen
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Benjamin I. Jelen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. J. Craig Venter Institute (JCVI), Rockville, Maryland, USA

    Karen E. Nelson

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© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

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Falkowski, P., Jelen, B.I. (2013). Microbial Genomes That Drive Earth’s Biogeochemical Cycles. In: Nelson, K. (eds) Encyclopedia of Metagenomics. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_800-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6418-1_800-3

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-6418-1

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