Dedication p. v
Table of Contents p. vii
Foreword Joseph Seckbach p. xiii
Preface p. xv
Comments on Prokaryote Nomenclature and Salt Concentration Units p. xix
Section 1. An Historical Survey p. 1
Chapter 1. Halophilic Microorganisms in their Natural Environment and in Culture - An Historical Introduction p. 3
1.1. Red brines - early observations and explanations p. 3
1.2. The first records of the isolation of halophilic Archaea and Bacteria p. 5
1.3. Dunaliella and other halophilic algae p. 8
1.4. Ecological studies: the Great Salt Lake p. 9
1.5. Alkaline soda lakes p. 10
1.6. The Dead Sea p. 11
1.7. The study of biogeochemical processes in hypersaline environments p. 11
1.8. The beginning of the modern era of halophile research p. 13
1.9. References p. 14
Section 2. Halophilic Microorganisms and their Properties p. 19
Introduction p. 21
Chapter 2. Taxonomy of Halophilic Microorganisms: Archaea, Bacteria and Eucarya p. 23
2.1. The place of halophiles within the microbial world p. 23
2.2. The halophilic Archaea p. 25
2.3. The halophilic and halotolerant Bacteria p. 36
2.4. The halophilic and halotolerant Eucarya p. 56
2.5. References p. 57
Chapter 3. The Cellular Structure of Halophilic Microorganisms p. 69
3.1. Cellular structures of halophilic Archaea p. 69
3.2. Cellular structures of halophilic Bacteria p. 99
3.3. Cellular structures of halophilic Eucarya p. 110
3.4. References p. 111
Chapter 4. Cellular Metabolism and Physiology of Halophilic Microorganisms p. 125
4.1. Physiology of halophilic Archaea p. 125
4.2. Physiology of halophilic Bacteria p. 140
4.3. Physiology of halophilic Eucarya p. 152
4.4. Metabolic diversity among the halophiles: a bioenergetic approach p. 153
4.5. References p. 157
Chapter 5. Pigments of Halophilic Microorganisms p. 173
5.1. Algal carotenoids p. 174
5.2. Pigments of oxygenic and anoxygenic photosynthetic Bacteria p. 178
5.3. Carotenoids of aerobic heterotrophic Archaea and Bacteria p. 179
5.4. The retinal pigments: bacteriorhodopsin, halorhodopsin, and sensory rhodopsins p. 183
5.5. The photoactive yellow protein of Halorhodospira and other halophilic purple bacteria p. 196
5.6. References p. 198
Chapter 6. Intracellular Salt Concentrations and Ion Metabolism in Halophilic Microorganisms p. 207
6.1. Introduction p. 207
6.2. Methods used to estimate intracellular ionic concentrations in halophilic microorganisms p. 208
6.3. Ion metabolism in the Halobacteriaceae p. 210
6.4. Ion metabolism in aerobic halophilic Bacteria p. 214
6.5. Ion metabolism in the Halanaerobiales p. 223
6.6. Ion metabolism in Dunaliella p. 223
6.7. References p. 227
Chapter 7. Properties of Halophilic Proteins p. 233
7.1. Introduction p. 233
7.2. Halophilic behavior of enzymes from halophilic Archaea p. 235
7.3. Purification of halophilic proteins p. 240
7.4. Salt relationships of selected proteins from halophilic Archaea p. 249
7.5. Halophilic behavior of enzymes from the aerobic halophilic Bacteria p. 253
7.6. Halophilic behavior of enzymes from the anaerobic halophilic Bacteria p. 264
7.7. Halophilic behavior of enzymes from the halophilic Eucarya p. 264
7.8. References p. 267
Chapter 8. Organic Compatible Solutes p. 279
8.1. Organic osmotic solutes and their distribution p. 279
8.2. Compatible solutes in the domain Archaea p. 284
8.3. Compatible solutes in the domain Bacteria p. 286
8.4. Compatible solutes in the domain Eucarya p. 294
8.5. The mode of action of compatible solutes p. 297
8.6. References p. 299
Chapter 9. Halophilic Bacteriophages and Halocins p. 307
9.1. Bacteriophages of halophilic microorganisms p. 307
9.2. Halocins p. 316
9.3. References p. 319
Chapter 10. Genetics and Genomics of Halophilic Archaea and Bacteria p. 323
10.1. Genetics of halophilic microorganisms - an historical survey p. 323
10.2. Genetics of halophilic Archaea p. 324
10.3. Genetics of halophilic Bacteria p. 343
10.4. References p. 348
Chapter 11. Biotechnological Applications and Potentials of Halophilic Microorganisms p. 357
11.1. Introduction p. 357
11.2. Applications of halophlic Archaea p. 359
11.3. Applications of halophlic Bacteria p. 367
11.4. Applications of halophlic Eucarya p. 375
11.5. References p. 380
Section 3. Hypersaline environments and their biota p. 391
Introduction p. 393
Chapter 12. Great Salt Lake, Utah p. 395
12.1. The lake and its setting p. 395
12.2. The microbial communities of the Great Salt Lake p. 400
12.3. Microbial isolates and their properties p. 407
12.4. Biogeochemical processes p. 409
12.5. References p. 415
Chapter 13. The Dead Sea p. 419
13.1. The lake and its setting p. 419
13.2. Early studies on the biota of the Dead Sea p. 423
13.3. Dynamics of microbial blooms in the Dead Sea p. 424
13.4. Microbial isolates and their properties p. 431
13.5. Adaptations of the Dead Sea biota to the ionic composition of the lake p. 433
13.6. The nature of the species dominant in the archaeal blooms p. 434
13.7. Anaerobic processes in the Dead Sea sediments p. 434
13.8. Biology of the Dead Sea - expected future developments p. 435
13.9. References p. 436
Chapter 14. Solar Salterns p. 441
14.1. The saltern environment and its biota p. 441
14.2. Benthic microbial mats in the evaporation ponds p. 444
14.3. Microbial isolates and their properties p. 448
14.4. Approaches toward the identification of the dominant Archaea in saltern crystallizer ponds p. 451
14.5. Salinibacter and other halophilic Bacteria in saltern ponds p. 453
14.6. The red pigments in salten crystallizer ponds p. 454
14.7. Dynamics of archaeal and bacterial communities in saltern ponds p. 455
14.8. The importance of the saltern biota in the production of solar salt p. 459
14.9. References p. 462
Chapter 15. Alkaline Hypersaline Lakes in Africa and Asia p. 471
15.1. The Wadi Natrun lakes p. 472
15.2. Lake Magadi and other East-African soda lakes p. 478
15.3. Hypersaline soda lakes in Asia - chemical and biological characteristics p. 489
15.4. References p. 491
Chapter 16. Mono Lake, California, and Big Soda Lake, Nevada p. 495
16.1. Hypersaline lakes in the Great Basin of North America p. 495
16.2. Mono Lake, California p. 496
16.3. Big Soda Lake, Nevada p. 508
16.4. References p. 512
Chapter 17. Miscellaneous Habitats of Halophilic Microorganisms--From Antarctic Lakes to Hydrothermal Vents p. 517
17.1. Cold and hypersaline: Antarctic hypersaline lakes p. 517
17.2. Hot and hypersaline: Solar Lake (Sinai) and other warm brines p. 519
17.3. Seawater, deep sea brines and hydrothermal vents p. 525
17.4. Halophilic microorganisms in oil field brines p. 528
17.5. Halophiles in salt marshes, hypersaline lagoons and miscellaneous lakes p. 528
17.6. Hypersaline springs p. 531
17.7. Hypersaline soils p. 532
17.8. Wall paintings p. 532
17.9. Desert plants and animals p. 533
17.10. References p. 533
Section 4. Epilogue p. 541
Chapter 18. Epilogue: Evolution of Halophiles and Survival of Halophiles on Earth and in Space p. 543
18.1. The evolutionary origin of halophiles p. 543
18.2. Long-term survival of halophiles in ancient salt crystals p. 545
18.3. Halophiles in space? p. 548
18.4. References p. 549
Section 5. Supplement p. 553
Methods for Cultivation and Handling of Halophilic Archaea and Bacteria p. 555
Glossary of Limnological Terms p. 559
About the Author p. 561
Organism Index p. 563
Geographical Index p. 567
Subject Index p. 571