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Related Experiment Videos

RNA stable-isotope probing.

Andrew S Whiteley1, Bruce Thomson, Tillmann Lueders

  • 1Biodiversity and Ecosystem Function Group, Molecular Microbial Ecology Section, CEH-Oxford, Mansfield Road, Oxford, UK OX1 3SR. aswhi@ceh.ac.uk

Nature Protocols
|April 21, 2007
PubMed
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Microbial ecology faces a challenge: microbes are vital, yet most remain uncultured. Stable isotope tracing (13C) now links microbial identity to ecosystem functions, advancing our understanding of microbial roles.

Area of Science:

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Environmental Microbiology
  • Molecular Ecology

Background:

  • Microbes are essential for Earth's life support systems.
  • Most microbial species in nature cannot be cultured in labs, hindering functional studies.
  • Understanding microbial contributions to ecosystem processes is a major challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To address the "who does what?" question in microbial ecology.
  • To connect microbial phylogeny with specific ecosystem functions.
  • To advance the understanding of microbially mediated ecosystem events.

Main Methods:

  • Utilizing stable isotope probing (SIP) with carbon-13 (13C).
  • Tracing the assimilation of specific carbon substrates into microbial biomass.

Related Experiment Videos

  • Linking substrate utilization to microbial community composition and phylogeny.

    • Main Results:

    • Stable isotope tracing successfully identified microbes responsible for specific carbon assimilation.
    • This method bridges the gap between uncultured microbes and their ecological functions.
    • Demonstrated a significant advancement in linking microbial phylogeny to environmental processes.

    Conclusions:

    • Stable isotope probing is a powerful tool for microbial ecology.
    • It enables the study of microbial functions in situ, even for uncultured organisms.
    • This approach enhances our ability to understand microbially driven ecosystem functions.