International Census of Marine Microbes (ICoMM)
Most of the earth’s biodiversity is microbial in nature, particularly in the oceans where microorganisms account for more than 50% of the biomass. DNA sequence analyses of samples from deep-sea sediments and the water column have revealed an incredible microbial genetic complexity that is only a piece of the picture of the diversity of microorganisms that prevail in all marine environments. ICoMM will facilitate the inventory of this microbial diversity developing a strategy to (1) catalogue all known diversity of single-cell organisms inclusive of the Bacteria, Archaea, Protista and associated viruses, (2) to explore and discover unknown microbial diversity, and (3) to place that knowledge into appropriate ecological and evolutionary contexts. ICoMM will use DNA technologies to answer such questions.
For current news and information, visit the ICoMM Project Website.
ICoMM Project Team
Principal Investigator:
Mitch Sogin, Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, USA
Principal Investigator:
Jan de Leeuw, The Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research, The Netherlands
Project Manager & Outreach Coordinator:
Linda Amaral-Zettler, Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, USA
Related Efforts
Reports and Documents
Microbial Diversity Press Release (29 Nov 04)
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