Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

The Soil Ecosystem02:23

The Soil Ecosystem

24.6K
Plants obtain inorganic minerals and water from the soil, which acts as a natural medium for land plants. The composition and quality of soil depend not only on the chemical constituents but also on the presence of living organisms. In general, soils contain three major components:
24.6K
What is an Ecosystem?01:17

What is an Ecosystem?

46.8K
Overview
46.8K
The Evidence for Evolution02:55

The Evidence for Evolution

47.7K
Genetic variations accumulating within populations over generations give rise to biological evolution. Evolutionary changes can result in the formation of novel varieties and entire new species. These changes are responsible for the diverse forms of life inhabiting the planet. The evidence for evolution suggests that all living organisms descended from common ancestors.
47.7K
Convergent Evolution01:54

Convergent Evolution

31.6K
Evolution shapes the features of organisms over time, ensuring that they are suited for the environments in which they live. Sometimes, selection pressure leads to the rise of similar but unrelated adaptations in organisms with no recent common ancestors, a process known as convergent evolution.
31.6K
Eukaryotic Evolution01:24

Eukaryotic Evolution

40.4K
The endosymbiont theory is the most widely accepted theory of eukaryotic evolution; however, its progression is still somewhat debated. According to the nucleus-first hypothesis, the ancestral prokaryote first evolved a membrane to enclose DNA and form the nucleus. Conversely, the mitochondria-first hypothesis suggests that the nucleus was formed after endosymbiosis of mitochondria.
Contrary to the endosymbiont theory, the eukaryote-first hypothesis proposes that the simpler prokaryotic and...
40.4K
Synteny and Evolution02:31

Synteny and Evolution

3.8K
John H. Renwick first coined the term “synteny” in 1971, which refers to the genes present on the same chromosomes, even if they are not genetically linked. The species with common ancestry tend to show conserved syntenic regions. Therefore, the concept of synteny is nowadays used to describe the evolutionary relationship between species.
Around 80 million years ago, the human and mice lineages diverged from the common ancestor. During the course of evolution, the ancestral...
3.8K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Arbuscular mycorrhiza provides postanthesis benefits to maximize wheat grain yield and nitrogen concentration.

The New phytologist·2026
Same author

Microbial-Plant Synergy Underpins the Mitigation of Atrazine Phytotoxicity in Soybean by a Multifunctional Bacterial Seed Coating.

Journal of agricultural and food chemistry·2026
Same author

Stress combination in biology, ecology, and medicine: embracing complexity to resolve our central challenges.

Trends in plant science·2026
Same author

Rapid evolution in necromass use under resource limitation reduces persistence in producer-decomposer microbial biospheres.

Communications biology·2026
Same author

Contrasting sensitivities to seasonal warming among co-occurring diseases.

Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences·2026
Same author

An Overlooked Micro(Nano)plastic Climate Feedback in Frozen Regions.

Global change biology·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jan 24, 2026

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning
09:23

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

1.9K

Microbial biospherics: The experimental study of ecosystem function and evolution.

Matthias C Rillig1,2, Janis Antonovics3

  • 1Institut für Biologie, Freie Universität Berlin, D-14195 Berlin, Germany; matthias.rillig@fu-berlin.de ja8n@virginia.edu.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|May 22, 2019
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Microbial biospherics offers a new framework for studying ecosystem processes. This approach uses simplified, closed microbial ecosystems to test ecological and evolutionary hypotheses, moving beyond traditional complex studies.

Keywords:
biogeochemistrybiosphericsmatter-closed systemsself-sustaining systems

More Related Videos

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC
08:18

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC

Published on: February 18, 2022

4.5K
Author Spotlight: Understanding Microbe Adaptation Using Innovative Techniques for Exploring Thermophilic Evolution
08:11

Author Spotlight: Understanding Microbe Adaptation Using Innovative Techniques for Exploring Thermophilic Evolution

Published on: June 14, 2024

1.4K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Jan 24, 2026

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning
09:23

JenaTron - An Experimental Approach to Study the Effects of Plant History and Soil History on Grassland Ecosystem Functioning

Published on: March 21, 2025

1.9K
Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC
08:18

Automated Microbial Cultivation and Adaptive Evolution using Microbial Microdroplet Culture System MMC

Published on: February 18, 2022

4.5K
Author Spotlight: Understanding Microbe Adaptation Using Innovative Techniques for Exploring Thermophilic Evolution
08:11

Author Spotlight: Understanding Microbe Adaptation Using Innovative Techniques for Exploring Thermophilic Evolution

Published on: June 14, 2024

1.4K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Microbiology
  • Systems Biology

Background:

  • Ecological systems have historically been studied in their complex, natural state.
  • The study of self-supporting ecological systems, or biospherics, has been confined to specialized fields like life support engineering.
  • Advances in technology now enable the study of simplified, closed ecosystems.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a framework for a renaissance in biospherics.
  • To advocate for the integration of closed-system studies into mainstream ecological research.
  • To highlight the potential of microbial biospherics for hypothesis testing.

Main Methods:

  • Focusing on matter-closed, energy-open ecosystems at a microbial level (microbial biospherics).
  • Utilizing recent advancements in genomics, robotics, and sensor technology.
  • Conducting highly replicated, long-term studies on simplified, predetermined systems.

Main Results:

  • Microbial biospherics provide a tractable approach to studying ecosystem processes.
  • Closed systems allow for rigorous testing of ecological and evolutionary hypotheses.
  • This approach facilitates the study of long-term system persistence and failure.

Conclusions:

  • A reductionist approach using microbial biospheres can significantly advance ecosystem ecology.
  • Integrating closed-system studies will move biospherics from the fringe to a mainstream scientific discipline.
  • This framework promises substantial dividends for understanding ecosystem function and dynamics.