Corien Bakermans Boeken

Microorganisms make up the majority of Earth's biodiversity and have thrived for nearly 4 billion years, yet our understanding of their evolutionary processes remains limited. Microbial evolution occurs across diverse environmental conditions, from anoxic to oxic and extreme temperatures, often leading to unique evolutionary pressures. Extreme environments, characterized by limited inhabitants, serve as valuable models for studying these processes. Observing microbes in such settings offers insights into evolution and adaptation, revealing changes at community, species, and genomic levels. However, distinguishing between evolution and adaptation poses challenges, as microbes often adjust through gene expression or community composition rather than developing entirely new capabilities. While significant knowledge has been gained about microbial adaptations to extreme conditions, the specifics of the evolutionary processes—such as mutation, gene transfer, genetic drift, and selection—remain less understood. This exploration seeks to illuminate what is known about microbial evolution in extreme contexts, its applicability to other systems, and the gaps in our knowledge that warrant further investigation. By examining various extreme environments and specific organisms, this work aims to enhance our understanding of microbial evolutionary mechanisms and their broader implications.