title: Microorganism response to stressed terrestrial environments: a Raman spectroscopic perspective of extremophilic life strategies.
abstract: Raman spectroscopy is a valuable analytical technique for the identification of biomolecules and minerals in natural samples, which involves little or minimal sample manipulation. In this paper, we evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of this technique applied to the study of extremophiles. Furthermore, we provide a review of the results published, up to the present point in time, of the bio- and geo-strategies adopted by different types of extremophile colonies of microorganisms. We also show the characteristic Raman signatures for the identification of pigments and minerals, which appear in those complex samples.
authors.affiliation: Area Geodinamica Interna, Facultad de Humanidades y Educacion, Universidad de Burgos, Calle Villadiego, Burgos 9001, Spain. seju@ubu.es.
authors.forename: Susana E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Jorge-Villar
authors.affiliation: Centre for Astrobiology and Extremophiles Research, School of Life Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK. h.g.m.edwards@bradford.ac.uk.
authors.forename: Howell G M
authors.initials: HG
authors.lastname: Edwards