6. Methods In Microbial Ecology

Question 1

Describe the main issues involved in the recovery of DNA from environmental samples

Answer 1

• Microbial biodiversity is underestimated
• Hampered due to limitations of culturing bacteria from natural environments
• Estimated only ~1% of microorganisms identified
• Non-culturable microorganisms can viably exist in an environment

Question 2

What are the possible reasons for the low recovery of culturable microorganisms from the environment?

Answer 2

• observation of non viable cells
  
  • viable but nonculturable
    
    • motilitity, dividing cells, grows in nature, or stains with dyes for living cells
• not the right conditions for growth of environmental microbes
  
  • enrichment cultures