"This water" he told me, "runs out to the eastern region, and flows into the Arabah; and when it comes into the sea, into the sea of foul waters [i. e. , the Dead Sea], the water will become wholesome. Every living creature that swarms will be able to live wherever this stream goes; the fish will be very abundant once these waters have reached there. It will be wholesome, and everything will live wherever this stream goes. Fishermen shall stand beside it all the way from En-gedi to En-eglaim; it shall be a place for drying nets; and the fish will be of various kinds [and] most plentiful, like the fish of the Great Sea. " Ezekiel’s prophecy (Ezekiel 47: 8-10) for revival and purification of the Dead Sea waters This new book on "Halophilic Microorganisms and their Environments" is the fifth volume in the COLE series (Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats (see: http://www. wkap. nl/prod/s/COLE). In the previous books we covered aspects of enigmatic microorganisms, microbial diversity, astrobiology, and symbiosis, so this book on halophilic microbes adds a fitting link to the rest of series' books. Since ancient times hypersaline habitats have been considered extreme environments, and some were thought not to sustain life at all. Yet, every organism requires salt for its existence. Salty places have been compared to an environment of extinction (e. g. , the Dead Sea).

From arid deserts to icy poles, outer space to the depths of the sea, this exciting new work studies the remarkable life forms that have made these inhospitable environments their home. Covering not only micro-organisms, but also higher plants and animals such as worms, fish and polar plants, this book details the ecological, biological and biogeochemical challenges these organisms face and unifying themes between environments. Equally useful for the expert, student and casual scientific reader, this book also explores the impact of climate change, rapid seasonal changes and pollution on these extraordinary creatures.

Various groups of microorganisms - bacteria, archaea, algae and even fungi - have adapted to a life in a hypersaline environment. Halophilic Microorganisms explores the many-fold aspects of life under these extreme conditions. Several contributions analyze the microbial communities in different hypersaline environments such as salterns, soda lakes, and the Dead Sea or salt sediments. Reviews of their biodiversity, phylogeny, and genetics are given as well as of the diverse adaptation strategies of salt-tolerant or salt-requiring microorganisms. Microorganisms that have adapted to moderate salt concentrations or to habitats with drastic fluctuations are also treated in addition to the extreme halophiles. Their physiological, biochemical and molecular mechanisms developed in response to salinity and high osmotic pressure as well as current and future biotechnological applications are presented.

The world of halophiles is quite diverse and their representatives in three domains of life i.e. archaea, bacteria and eukarya. They are found all over the small subunit rRNA based tree of life and these micro-organisms are adapted to salt concentration up to saturation hence able to grow at >300g/l Nacl concentration. Their metabolic diversity is high as well encompassing oxygenic and anoxygenic phototrophs, aerobic heterotrophs, denitrifiers, sulphate reducers, fermenters and methanogens. The proteins of halophiles are magnificently engineered to function in a milieu containing 2-5M salt that encodes genes represent a valuable repository and resource for reconstruction and visualizing processes of habitat selection and adaptive evolution. Search for new enzymes endowed with novel activities and enhanced stability continues to be desirable purpose for important commercial production of biotechnological significance. These poly extremophiles proved excellent source of enzymes and metabolites possessing inherent ability to function in extreme conditions of high salt, alkaline pH and facilitating catalysis for industrial application in food processing, industrial bioconversion, bioremediation etc. In fact, it has just begun to realize the great potential and true extent of diversity and suitable applications if explored them judiciously. This book highlights current applications and research on halophiles to provide a timely overview. Chapters are written by expert authors from around the world and include topics of varied importance which include their role to play in enzyme production, restoration of soil fertility and plant growth , antimicrobial and biocatalytic potential, biomolecules in nanotechnology and aspects of quorum sensing. The book is divided into three sections, dealing with biodiversity, biotechnology and sustainable exploitation of halophiles. This major new work represents a valuable source of information to all those scientists interested in microorganisms in general and extremophiles in particular with respect to their innovative products and applications.

Hypersaline environments are the principal habitats of petroleum deposition. They are also of intense evolutionary and ecological interest. This book presents a cross-disciplinary examination of the variety of halophilic microorganisms and their roles in modifying the ecology and geochemistry of hypersaline environments. The book also covers in detail the various inland and coastal habitats where halophilic microorganisms thrive. Geographically, hypersaline environments extend from the tropics to the poles, and from the terrestrial to the submarine. Organisms capable of living in such environments have faced unique evolutionary challenges.

This book is designed to be a long term career reference. The chapters present modern procedures. This is a how-to-book with a difference. These chapters: - reveal the background information about working with salt loving organisms, - are loaded with information about how experiments are conducted under high salt, - provide information about analyses that work under these conditions and those that may not, - present a wide range of details from laboratory designs to equipment used and even to simple anecdotal hints that can only come from experience. Microbiological training focuses largely on the growth, the handling and the study of the microbes associated with humans and animals. Yet the largest proportion of the Earth’s microbiota lives in saline environments such as the Oceans, saline deserts and terminal hypersaline environments. This need for salt can be intimidating for those interested in entering the field or for those interested in understanding how such research is accomplished.