Meet the editors

Dr. Afef Najjari is an Assistant Professor of Bioinformatics at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunisia, University of Tunis El Manar. Dr. Afef has worked on several topics including (i) genetic and enzymatic diversities of lactic acid bacteria isolated from dairy and meat products, and (ii) microbial diversity and ecology of extremophilic microbes in arid and saline ecosystems and mainly on archaeal groups. These works were funded by national and

international projects. Currently, she is interested in metagenomic analysis, genome assemblies and annotations, transcriptomic data analysis (microarrays), and biological database development.

Dr. Ouzari Hadda-Imene has been a Professor of Microbiology at the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis, University Tunis El Manar since 2013. The main research and teaching activities of Prof. Ouzari Hadda-Imene are focused on the identification and biotechnological potentialities and applications of microbes from different environments. She has published about 90 peer-reviewed papers and more than 600 nucleotidic sequences. Prof. Ouzari Hadda-

Imene has contributed to several national and international projects focusing on several aspects of microbial ecology. As an active member of the Tunisian Society of Microbial Ecology, she is actively contributing to the research promotion and scientific interaction between researchers from different countries. She also acts as the Tunisian ambassador of the International Society of Microbial Ecology (ISME).

Prof. Ameur Cherif graduated in Natural Sciences (1995) and has obtained his Ph.D. degree in Microbiology from the Faculty of Sciences of Tunis (FST), University of Tunis El Manar in 2001. He is the Head of a research laboratory "Biotechnology and Bio-Geo Resources Valorization" at the University of Manouba. His research activities focus on: (i) phylogeny and ecology of extremophilic microbes; (ii) microbial ecology of symbionts,

commensal, and pathogen microbiota in different hosts; and (iii) biotechnological applications of active biomolecules, plant growth promotion, and bioremediation. He participated in the European Cost Action FA 0701, was a partner member in several EU FP7, Tempus, Erasmus, H2020 and bilateral projects, and serves on the various review and editorial committees. Prof. Cherif has published over 80 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters (h-index 21, Scopus, May 2018).

Dr. Ir. Haïtham Sghaier is an Engineer in Biotechnology and Professor (Associate) of Radiation and Computational Biology at the National Center for Nuclear Sciences and Technology (CN-STN) in Tunisia. Dr. SGHAIER has published on the evolution of ionizing-radiation-resistant Archaea and Bacteria. Also, he has published on bioremediation issues. Currently, he is implicated in various ongoing sequencing projects and databases [http://

home.isima.fr/irrb/; http://www.radiop.org.tn/; etc.] about Archaea and Bacteria. In 2016, Dr. SGHAIER won the TWAS Young Arab Scientist (YAS) Prize.

Contents

*and Eman Damra*

Genomics

*and Hadda-Imene Ouzari*

*by Farah Naz Faridi and Saba Khan*

*and Elvira Cuevas*

of Ruminants

**Preface III**

**Chapter 1 1**

**Chapter 2 13**

**Chapter 3 41**

**Chapter 4 63**

**Chapter 5 83** Halocins, Bacteriocin-Like Antimicrobials Produced by the Archaeal Domain:

**Chapter 6 99**

**Chapter 7 113**

Harnessing the Genetic Diversity and Metabolic Potential of Extremophilic Microorganisms through the Integration of Metagenomics and Single-Cell

*by Afef Najjari, Hiba Mejri, Marwa Jabbari, Haitham Sghaier, Ameur Cherif* 

Tree Species and Precipitation Effect on the Soil Microbial Community Structure and Enzyme Activities in a Tropical Dry Forest Reserve *by Michelle Jovanne Rivera-Rivera, Veronica Acosta-Martínez* 

Methanogenic Diversity and Taxonomy in the Gastro Intestinal Tract

Enhancement and Identification of Microbial Secondary Metabolites *by Ahmed M. Shuikan, Wael N. Hozzein, Mohammed M. Alzharani, Maram N. Sandouka, Sulaiman A. Al Yousef, Sulaiman A. Alharbi* 

Microbial Ecology in the Atmosphere: The Last Extreme Environment *by Ángeles Aguilera, Graciela de Diego-Castilla, Susana Osuna, Rafael Bardera,* 

*Suthyvann Sor Mendi, Yolanda Blanco and Elena González-Toril*

*by Deepika Goyal, Shiv Swaroop and Janmejay Pandey*

Occurrence and Phylogenetic Diversity in *Halobacteriales*

Predator-Prey Interactions in Ciliated Protists *by Federico Buonanno and Claudio Ortenzi*
