Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use
Caves have been an item of amateur and professional exploration for many years. Research on the karst caves has revealed great diversity of bacteria, algae, and fungi living on stone walls and speleothems, in mud puddles or sediments. They have become the source of interest for various research grou...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Microorganisms |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/2/222 |
| _version_ | 1797477936186523648 |
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| author | Katarzyna Kosznik-Kwaśnicka Piotr Golec Weronika Jaroszewicz Daria Lubomska Lidia Piechowicz |
| author_facet | Katarzyna Kosznik-Kwaśnicka Piotr Golec Weronika Jaroszewicz Daria Lubomska Lidia Piechowicz |
| author_sort | Katarzyna Kosznik-Kwaśnicka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Caves have been an item of amateur and professional exploration for many years. Research on the karst caves has revealed great diversity of bacteria, algae, and fungi living on stone walls and speleothems, in mud puddles or sediments. They have become the source of interest for various research groups including geologists, chemists, ecologists, or microbiologists. The adaptations of cave-dwelling organisms applied to their survival are complex and some of their properties show potential to be used in various areas of human life. Secondary metabolites produced by cave’s bacteria show strong antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or anticancer properties. Furthermore, bacteria that can induce mineral precipitation could be used in the construction industry and for neutralization of radioisotopes. In this review we focus on bacteria and algae present in cave ecosystems, their role in shaping such specific environment, and their biotechnological and medical potential. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:24:50Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-97b93864ce1349b3a03e0a996ecfb3ee |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-2607 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T21:24:50Z |
| publishDate | 2022-01-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Microorganisms |
| spelling | doaj.art-97b93864ce1349b3a03e0a996ecfb3ee2023-11-23T21:12:45ZengMDPI AGMicroorganisms2076-26072022-01-0110222210.3390/microorganisms10020222Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential UseKatarzyna Kosznik-Kwaśnicka0Piotr Golec1Weronika Jaroszewicz2Daria Lubomska3Lidia Piechowicz4Department of Medical Mirobiology, Faculty of Mecicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębowa 25, 80-204 Gdansk, PolandDepartment of Molecular Virology, Institute of Microbiology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw, Miecznikowa 1, 02-096 Warsaw, PolandDepartment of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, PolandDepartment of Molecular Biology, Faculty of Biology, University of Gdansk, Wita Stwosza 59, 80-308 Gdansk, PolandDepartment of Medical Mirobiology, Faculty of Mecicine, Medical University of Gdańsk, Dębowa 25, 80-204 Gdansk, PolandCaves have been an item of amateur and professional exploration for many years. Research on the karst caves has revealed great diversity of bacteria, algae, and fungi living on stone walls and speleothems, in mud puddles or sediments. They have become the source of interest for various research groups including geologists, chemists, ecologists, or microbiologists. The adaptations of cave-dwelling organisms applied to their survival are complex and some of their properties show potential to be used in various areas of human life. Secondary metabolites produced by cave’s bacteria show strong antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, or anticancer properties. Furthermore, bacteria that can induce mineral precipitation could be used in the construction industry and for neutralization of radioisotopes. In this review we focus on bacteria and algae present in cave ecosystems, their role in shaping such specific environment, and their biotechnological and medical potential.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/2/222Actinobacteriacavesecosystems |
| spellingShingle | Katarzyna Kosznik-Kwaśnicka Piotr Golec Weronika Jaroszewicz Daria Lubomska Lidia Piechowicz Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use Microorganisms Actinobacteria caves ecosystems |
| title | Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use |
| title_full | Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use |
| title_fullStr | Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use |
| title_full_unstemmed | Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use |
| title_short | Into the Unknown: Microbial Communities in Caves, Their Role, and Potential Use |
| title_sort | into the unknown microbial communities in caves their role and potential use |
| topic | Actinobacteria caves ecosystems |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/2/222 |
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