JUNE 2009 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 The Microbial Taxonomist A Newsletter Published by Bergey’s Manual Trust MIKE GOODFELLOW JUERGEN WIEGEL Volume 3 launch at FEMS AND PETER KÄMPFER RECEIVES 2007 BERGEY meeting in Gothenburg BECOME NEW CHAIR AWARD AND VICE CHAIR You are cordially invited to attend New officers were elected to fill a reception in celebration of the the Chair and Vice-Chair positions launch of Bergey's Volume 3 at the of Bergey’s Manual Trust at the Springer booth (#24A) on Monday, June 29th at 3:00pm. Salem, Massachusetts, meeting of Bergey’s Manual Trust on May 30 – You will be able to preview pre- June 1, 2008. The newly elected publication copies of the much- Chair is Michael Goodfellow. anticipated third volume and order Professor Goodfellow is currently Juergen Wiegel was presented the copies at a 20% discount! Chair of the Department of Bergey Award at the International Microbiology at the University of Union of Microbiological Societies conducted research on the Newcastle and previously served as meeting in Istanbul, Turkey on August microorganisms that are involved in Vice Chair of the Trust. Peter 18, 2008. Professor Wiegel received his important biochemical transformations, Kämpfer was elected to the Vice BS, MS and PhD degrees as well as his including the acetogenic bacteria, Chair position. Professor Kämpfer is Habilitation at the University of anaerobic and thermophilic cellulolytic located at the Universität Giessen in Göttingen, Germany. In 1977 he became bacteria, bacteria involved in ethanol Germany and currently Editor-in- a Research Associate and subsequently and butanol fermentations, Chief of the International Journal of an Associate Professor at the University thermoalkaliphilic anaerobes and Systematic and Evolutionary of Georgia where, in 1990, he was bacteria responsible for reductive Microbiology. promoted to full Professor in the dehalogenation. Other officers remain as is, Department of Microbiology. More recently Professor Wiegel and namely William Whitman as Professor Wiegel has served on his colleagues have described a group Director of the Editorial Office and numerous editorial boards and on of extremophiles able to grow under the Treasurer and Fred Rainey as national and international committees. combination of high salt, alkaline pH Secretary. Aidan Parte will continue He is a member of the American and high temperature; the halophilic as Managing Editor. Jim Staley, the Academy of Microbiology. alkalithermophiles. “To imagine this former Chair retired from the Trust Professor Wiegel has made habitat,” his colleague Dr Noha Mesbah at the time of the meeting but will considerable contributions to microbial says, “mix 250 ml of drain cleaner and 1 continue to serve the Trust as an taxonomy. He described the family kg of salt in 8 liters of water. Then heat Emeritus Trustee, Contributing Clostridiaceae and many genera for the to 60°C.” These bacteria constitute the Editor of the The Microbial first and second editions of Bergey’s novel order Natranaerobiales within the Taxonomist and Editor of Volume 4 Manual of Systematic Bacteriology as well phylum Firmicutes." of the second edition of Bergey’s as The Prokaryotes. He is an expert on One of his best known publications Manual of Systematic Bacteriology. Xanthobacter¸ Thermosyntropha, is one in which he distinguishes Gracilibacter, Desulfitobacterium, between the Gram stain and Gram type Thermoanaerobacterium, Anaerobranca, of an organism. The bacterial species Carboxydothermus and Thermo- Thermoanaerobacterium wiegelii has been anaerobacter. In addition, he has named in his honor. THE MICROBIAL TAXONOMIST PAGE 1 JUNE 2009 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 JAMES T. STALEY—AN thermophilic crenarchaeota. In contrast to hot, arid deserts, the INQUIRING MIND frigid environments of the Arctic led Jim to isolate Psychromonas On Jim Staley’s retirement from ingrahamii from a sea ice core from the Trust. Point Barrow, Alaska. This remarkable organism grows at −12 Microbes of desert varnish in to 10°C and has gas vesicles. In fact, Death Valley? Psychrophiles in gas vesicles have long fascinated polar sea ice? Tubulin homologs in Jim, beginning with Microcyclus bacteria? Microbial gas vesicles? diversity. After the eruption of (now Ancylobacter) in 1971. In regard Organisms that grow on Mount St. Helens in 1980, Jim was to other “tough” environments, Jim phenanthrene? These are just a few soon at the site taking samples from has investigated creosote- of Professor James T. Staley’s many the lakes that had been in the blast contaminated marine sediments, interests during his distinguished zone. He showed that these lakes which led to his discovery of Vibrio career in microbial diversity. quickly exhibited tremendous cyclotrophicus—an organism that can Jim Staley received his BA increases in heterotrophic bacterial actually use phenanthrene and degree at the University of numbers compared to their normal naphthalene as sole carbon and Minnesota, MSc from Ohio State oligotrophic state. The increases energy sources. Jim’s interest in University, and PhD from the were probably due to the extensive unusual bacteria that live in University of California, Davis. He leaching of organic materials in the oligotrophic environments is also is presently an emeritus faculty watersheds due to the devastation evident from his naming of several member of the University of and decomposition of the prosthecate genera, including Washington, Seattle. Jim has served indigenous flora and fauna. Prosthecobacter, Prosthecomicrobium, as Chairman of the Bergey's Manual Jim’s interest in other and Ancalomicrobium. Trust since 2000 and is a member of inhospitable environments on earth Jim’s experience with the the editorial boards of several led him to wonder about the nature diversity and taxonomy of journals, as well as a member of the of “desert varnish,” a type of a dark environmental bacteria was highly A m e r i c a n A c a d e m y o f coating on desert rocks that contains valued when he joined the Bergey’s Microbiology. In addition to over clay minerals. Jim’s recent use of 100 research articles, Jim is also the Trust in 1976. At the beginning of culture-independent methods to senior author of a major general the 1980s, Jim and the other Trust analyze the varnish on rocks in microbiology textbook, Microbial members were deeply involved in Death Valley, California showed that Life, now in its second edition. the transition of Bergey’s Manual a wide variety of prokaryotic Jim has been a wellspring for microorganisms occur in varnish from a merely determinative work exciting projects in microbial coatings, including non- to a much broader systematic work. DAVID BERGEY HONORED AT DEDICAT- ION OF MILESTONE IN MICROBIOLOGY The Laboratory of Hygiene at the University of Pennsylvania, where David Bergey studied, conducted research and taught from 1893-1931 was designated a Milestone in Microbiology by the American Society for Microbiology on May 15, 2009. On hand were the archivist from the Eastern Pennsylvania branch of the ASM, James Poupard, the president of the ASM, Alison O’Brien, Treasurer of BMT, Barny Whitman, and a host of interested microbiologists. Other Milestones include the Barny Whitman (l) and James Poupard standing in Hopkins Marine Station, where Cornelis B. van front of the plaque. Niel offered his famous summer course. THE MICROBIAL TAXONOMIST PAGE 2 JUNE 2009 VOLUME 3, ISSUE 1 Jim and the other editors decided to Like many other taxonomists, phylogenetically different hosts ask the most knowledgeable Jim has long been puzzled by the could greatly aid our understanding authorities on the various taxa to relatively low number of of prokaryotic speciation. For prepare the individual chapters, prokaryotic species (about 5,000), instance, his work on the taxonomy thus allowing the Manual to become seemingly in contradiction to the of Simonsiella bacteria—large a truly international project. In the great genetic diversity of microbial trichomes that glide along the 1970s and early 1980s, various life. After all, there are about 900,000 epithelial surfaces of the mouth and methods to determine phylogenetic known insect species; should not upper respiratory tract of humans relatedness using molecular prokaryotes also have a great and other mammals—has suggested phylogenetic approaches were being number of species? As Jim has that the divergence of the genus into done, but at differing levels of noted, the present definition of a host-specific ecospecies was forced resolution and interpretation, and bacterial species is far too broad, by speciation events in the many of the studies were although it has served microbiology mammalian hosts. Similarly, fragmentary. For these reasons, the fairly well in the past. Conceptually, environmental factors associated Trust decided not to attempt a the bacterial species is in fact in a with different geographical general phylogenetic classification; state of dynamic genetic flux, and locations may force speciation by instead, they opted for an interim Jim recently proposed the genomic– selecting for certain genes, such as classification in which the higher phylogenetic species concept those acquired by lateral gene taxa were arranged mainly (GPSC) [Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B (2006) transfer. according to traditional phenotypic 361, 1899–1909], in which species are With his love of microbial features. Jim’s excellent choice of considered to be an irreducible diversity and his sense of authors and his fine editing allowed cluster of organisms that can