title: Alpine microorganisms: useful tools for low-temperature bioremediation.
abstract: Cold environments, including polar and alpine regions, are colonized by a wide diversity of microorganisms able to thrive at low temperatures. There is evidence of a wide range of metabolic activities in alpine cold ecosystems. Like polar microorganisms, alpine microorganisms play a key ecological role in their natural habitats for nutrient cycling, litter degradation, and many other processes. A number of studies have demonstrated the capacity of alpine microorganisms to degrade efficiently a wide range of hydrocarbons, including phenol, phenol-related compounds and petroleum hydrocarbons, and the feasibility of low-temperature bioremediation of European alpine soils by stimulating the degradation capacity of indigenous microorganisms has also been shown.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Microbiology, University of Innsbruck, Technikerstrasse 25, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria. rosa.margesin@uibk.ac.at
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Margesin
mesh_terms: D000531:Altitude; D001673:Biodegradation, Environmental; D003080:Cold Temperature; D005060:Europe; D006838:Hydrocarbons / Q000378:metabolism; D010578:Petroleum / Q000378:metabolism; D012988:Soil Microbiology
chemical_list: D006838:Hydrocarbons; D010578:Petroleum