So the scientists say that more research is needed to decipher the mystery of these volcanic inhabitants. These sorts of genetic sampling studies can provide a broad view of the bacterial world found in a particular place, but not more detailed information about individual species or the roles they play in their tiny neighbourhoods. Some scientists call such groups ‘microbial dark matter’ - the unseen or un-studied microorganisms in nature.” “The Chloroflexi are an extremely diverse group of bacteria, with lots of different roles found in lots of different environments, but they are not well studied and so we don’t know what they do in these communities. “This study points to the possibility that more ancient lineages of bacteria, like the phylum Chloroflexi, may have important ecological ‘jobs,’ or roles,” said Prescott. You will be directed to the checkout screen. It’ll take you to Shutterstock’s Free Trial page.
And it’s possible that they may be an example of a “hub species” - microbes vital to the structure and function of their communities. Here is how to download non-watermarked images at Shutterstock with the Free Trial: Click on the Shutterstock Free Trial link here or the banner right above. One group of bacteria in particular, known as Chloroflexi, might be especially influential, though, since they were commonly found in different volcanic areas and seemed to interact with many other organisms. The bacteria found in these sites also rarely overlapped, meaning that these environments seem to host their own unique microbial worlds, with at least thousands of unknown species left to be identified.