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A Living Desert Underground

By Guest PostNovember 20, 2013Natureantje legatzki, archaea, atacama desert, australia, bacteria, biomass, brisbane, carbon dioxide, cave formation, Chile, desert ecosystem, dna analysis, ecosystem of microbes, environmental cleanup solutions, erythromycin, exploring mars, groundwater, hypersaline water, julie neilson, kartchner caverns, kentucky, limestone cave, limestone cave system, living desert underground, organic carbon, raina maier, rod wing, sewage treatment plant, shark bay, southeastern arizona, stromatolite, sunlight, throne room, type of habitat, typical ecosystem, university of arizona, west virginia, whetstone mountains

In the perpetual darkness of a limestone cave, UA researchers have discovered a surprisingly diverse ecosystem of microbes eking out a living from not much more than drip water, rock and air. The discovery not only expands our understanding of how microbes manage to colonize every niche on the planet but also could lead to applications ranging from environmental cleanup solutions to drug development.

Hidden underneath the hilly grasslands studded with ocotillos and mesquite trees in southeastern Arizona lies a world shrouded in perpetual darkness: Kartchner Caverns, a limestone cave system renowned for its untouched cave formations, sculpted over millennia by groundwater dissolving the bedrock and carving out underground rooms, and passages that attract tourists from all over the world. (more…)

Kartchner Caverns: A Living Microbe Laboratory

By Guest PostMay 20, 2011Scienceanti fungal, anti microbial, bacterial communities, cave dwelling microbes, dna fragments, gene sequences, genetic structure, genetic survey of microbes, kartchner caverns, living laboratory, marian ortiz, metabolism, microbe, microbial communities, organisms, pcr, polymerase chain reaction, pyrosequencing, southern arizona, speleothems, stalactites, stalagmites, university of arizona, whetstone mountains

*In the first extensive genetic survey of microbes living in Kartchner Caverns, UA doctoral candidate Marian Ortiz has shown that some of the cave-dwelling microbes may have anti-microbial and anti-fungal properties.*

In a hole in the ground, there lives a microbe. Actually, there live several microbes. What are they and how do they survive in conditions practically devoid of resources or other forms of life?

Doctoral candidate Marian Ortiz in the University of Arizona’s department of soil, water and environmental science is trying to find out. (more…)

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A Living Desert Underground

Kartchner Caverns: A Living Microbe Laboratory