Thermophilic Microorganisms and Life at High Temperatures

by Thomas D. Brock

From 1965 through 1975, I conducted an extensive field and laboratory research project on thermophilic microorganisms. The field work was based primarily in Yellowstone National Park, using a field laboratory we set up in the city of W. Yellowstone, Montana. The laboratory work was carried out from 1965 through 1971 at Indiana University, Bloomington, and subsequently at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. Although this research project began small, it quickly ramified in a wide variety of directions. The major thrust was an attempt to understand the ecology and evolutionary relationships of thermophilic microorganisms, but research also was done on biochemical, physiologic, and taxonomic aspects of thermophiles. Four new genera of thermophilic microorganisms have been discovered during the course of this 10-year period, three in my laboratory. In addition, a large amount of new information has been obtained on some thermophilic microorganisms that previously had been known. In later years, a considerable amount of work was done on Yellowstone algal­ bacterial mats as models for Precambrian stromatolites. In the broadest sense, the work could be considered geomicrobiological, or biogeochemi­ cal, and despite the extensive laboratory research carried out, the work was always firmly rooted in an attempt to understand thermophilic microorga­ nisms in their natural environments. Indeed, one of the prime motivations for initiating this work was a view that extreme environments would provide useful models for studying the ecology of microorganisms. As a result of this 10-year research project, I published over 100 papers.

465 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1978

Reviews

[Van Reese · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is clearly dated, but It was no doubt the authoritative work in the field at the time it was printed. Even now, when searching for books about thermophiles in Yellowstone, this book is among the few that come up. In fact, I was not able to find any other books that approached the subject with any type of authority. Be warned, this is not a book for the lay Yellowstone tourist. It can truly be said about this book that if this is the type of thing that interests you, this is the type of book that will interest you.

[Carol Collins]

1978

[Alison · Rating 1 out of 5]

Good for research but Brock clearly had no issues violating the national park he worked in so often, Yellowstone. Pouring large amounts of salt into a thermal spring, against the preservation/leave no trace ethics of national parks, then bragging about it in the book? Thoughtless asshole.