Earth's Microbiomes (ERTH20004)

This subject will survey Earth’s microbiomes, including the terrestrial, marine, extreme environments, urban/built/engineered environments and microbiomes in symbioses (e.g., human, coral, plants). We will explore the construct of a microbial “community”, its constituent populations and diversity, and its interactions with inorganic and organic materials and processes (biogeochemical cycles – carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, etc.). We will look at approaches to microbial census taking, and key traits of cultured microbial groups. We will examine the scope and significance of the uncultured microbial majority, including the so-called “microbial dark matter” with respect to our understanding of evolution and the tree of life. We will investigate the role of viruses in the Earth’s microbiomes, and the origin and evolution of microbial life in the context of Earth’s biogeochemical cycles.