Microorganisms in Peat Swamp Forests: Abundance, Diversity, Function, Activity

Dear Colleagues,

Peat swamp forests are swamps at the “forest” stage of their development. According to expert estimates, swamps and wetlands cover from 4% to 6% of the Earth’s surface. Swamps have their own role in the formation of the gas composition of the atmosphere, regulate the circulation of water, carbon and other natural components, and contribute to preserving biodiversity, including microbial biodiversity.

Peat deposit is a bank of microorganisms, representing a wide variety of groups. Even though microbial communities of various swamps have been analyzed for more than a century, there are still many questions to be answered. Particularly important are the following ones: what groups and taxa of microorganisms prevail in swamps of different genesis and what ecological functions are they able to perform?

The topic of this Special Issue is the assessment of abundance, diversity, viability, and activity of microbial complexes in the phyllosphere, rhizosphere, and litter and soils of peat swamp forests. Particular attention will be paid to studies where microbial complexes are analyzed via molecular–biological methods, as well as to the search for microorganisms with high functional and antagonistic potential.

Dr. Alla Golovchenko
Dr. Tatiana Semenova
Guest Editors

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