Biodiversity of Microbial Life

Biodiversity of Microbial Life PDF Author: James T. Staley
Publisher: Wiley-Liss
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 604

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Book Description
Biodiversity of Microbial Life places the importance and novelty of the diversity of the microbial world in perspective with the biodiversity of plants and animals. Microbial diversity has driven the evolution of all life on Earth as well as the nutrient cycles, which are key to the operation of the biosphere. Microorganisms live in all ecosystems, even extreme environments not habitable to other organisms. Noted experts including Carl Woese, the originator of the Tree of Life, and Rita Colwell, who is now Director of the National Science Foundation, offer their unique perspectives on the extent and importance of microbial biodiversity. Special emphasis is placed on: * Evolution, speciation, and contrasts between microbial biodiversity and plant and animal biodiversity * Physiological and metabolic diversity of microorganisms * Biodiversity of microbial life in terrestrial and marine environments * Symbioses between microorganisms and plants, insects, and humans * Extreme environments populated exclusively or primarily by microorganisms including thermal vents and hot springs, polar sea ice environments, and subterranean ecosystems * Microorganisms and biotechnology Biodiversity of Microbial Life is an essential resource for all biologists interested in biodiversity.

Biodiversity of Microbial Life

Biodiversity of Microbial Life PDF Author: James T. Staley
Publisher: Wiley-Liss
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 604

Get Book

Book Description
Biodiversity of Microbial Life places the importance and novelty of the diversity of the microbial world in perspective with the biodiversity of plants and animals. Microbial diversity has driven the evolution of all life on Earth as well as the nutrient cycles, which are key to the operation of the biosphere. Microorganisms live in all ecosystems, even extreme environments not habitable to other organisms. Noted experts including Carl Woese, the originator of the Tree of Life, and Rita Colwell, who is now Director of the National Science Foundation, offer their unique perspectives on the extent and importance of microbial biodiversity. Special emphasis is placed on: * Evolution, speciation, and contrasts between microbial biodiversity and plant and animal biodiversity * Physiological and metabolic diversity of microorganisms * Biodiversity of microbial life in terrestrial and marine environments * Symbioses between microorganisms and plants, insects, and humans * Extreme environments populated exclusively or primarily by microorganisms including thermal vents and hot springs, polar sea ice environments, and subterranean ecosystems * Microorganisms and biotechnology Biodiversity of Microbial Life is an essential resource for all biologists interested in biodiversity.

Recent Advancements in Microbial Diversity

Recent Advancements in Microbial Diversity PDF Author: Surajit de Mandal
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0128212667
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 624

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Book Description
Microorganisms are a major part of the Earth’s biological diversity. Although a lot of research has been done on microbial diversity, most of it is fragmented. This book creates the need for a unified text to be published, full of information about microbial diversity from highly reputed and impactful sources. Recent Advancements in Microbial Diversity brings a comprehensive understanding of the recent advances in microbial diversity research focused on different bodily systems, such as the gut. Recent Advancements in Microbial Diversity also discusses how the application of advanced sequencing technologies is used to reveal previously unseen microbial diversity and show off its function. Gives insight into microbial diversity in different bodily systems Explains novel approaches to studying microbial diversity Highlights the use of omics to analyze the microbial community and its functional attributes Discusses the techniques used to examine microbial diversity, including their applications and respective strengths and weaknesses

Microbial Diversity and Ecology in Hotspots

Microbial Diversity and Ecology in Hotspots PDF Author: Aparna Gunjal
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0323901492
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 394

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Book Description
Microbial Diversity in Hotspots provides an introduction to microbial diversity and microbes in different hotspots and threatened areas. The book gives insights on extremophiles, phyllosphere and rhizosphere, covers fungal diversity, conservation and microbial association, focuses on biodiversity acts and policies, and includes cases studies. Microbes explored are from the coldest to the hottest areas of the world. Although hotspots are zones with extremely high microbiology activities, the knowledge of microbial diversity from these areas is very limited, hence this is a welcome addition to existing resources. Provides an introduction to microbial biotechnology Addresses novel approaches to the study of microbial diversity in hotspots Provides the basics, along with advanced information on microbial diversity Discusses the techniques used to examine microbial diversity with their applications and respective pros and cons for sustainability Explores the importance of microbial genomes studies in commercial applications

Adaption of Microbial Life to Environmental Extremes

Adaption of Microbial Life to Environmental Extremes PDF Author: Helga Stan-Lotter
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319483277
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 342

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Book Description
This entirely updated second edition provides an overview on the biology, ecology and biodiversity of extremophiles. Unusual and less explored ecosystems inhabited by extremophiles such as marine hypersaline deeps, extreme cold, desert sands, and man-made clean rooms for spacecraft assembly are presented. An additional focus is put on the role of these highly specialized microorganism in applied research fields, ranging from biotechnology and nanotechnology to astrobiology. Examples such as novel psychrophilic enzymes, compounds from halophiles, and detection strategies for potential extraterrestrial life forms are discussed in detail. The book addresses researchers and advanced students in the fields of microbiology, microbial ecology and biotechnology.

Diversity of the Microbial World

Diversity of the Microbial World PDF Author: Angélica Cibrián-Jaramillo
Publisher: Frontiers Media SA
ISBN: 2889636658
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 86

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Book Description
Microbes, or microorganisms, are tiny living beings that cannot be seen by the naked eye. These little guys are one of the oldest living things on Earth, and are extremely diverse in how they live and what they can do. They, for example, can live in many places, from the freezing iciness of glaciers, to the insides of other organisms, like termites or humans. Since they are virtually everywhere, microorganisms are essential for the biological processes that allow plants and animals to breath, eat and thrive. But how were they able to endure, adapt and flourish constantly over millions of years? The secrets of their success are still within them, coded into their genomes, waiting for us to understand them. Now, genomes, bacterial or otherwise, are the repositories of life. These repositories store almost every bit of information that allows living beings to live in discrete units called genes. Genes are strung together like the sentences in a book, interacting with each other to create meaning, saving the story of that particular book—or that particular living organism’s genome—so it can be copied, modified, corrected or enhanced, and then passed on to new generations. After many, many years of studying these “books,” we have learned to read and understand them, thanks to the technological innovations of the last decade. Nowadays, it is possible to get the full genomic sequence of practically any organism, and compare it with thousands of genomes from other organisms, letting us peek at the secrets that make each organism who it is. With the current technical abilities, the challenge now is not to obtain the information but to interpret all those chunks of the story. Finding ways to untangle the riddles of genomic information is the work of Genomics, the science that allows us to obtain, analyze and prioritize information among the many stories that we sequence everyday. To do this, Genomics draws from many sciences, like mathematics and computing sciences, making it a truly interdisciplinary endeavor. Right now , genomics are one of the most important areas of biology, and many, if not most, of current biological studies use at least a little bit of genomics. For example, genomics can be used to identify a microbe and give it a name, to learn about what types of things it can do or places it can live, and to figure out the mechanisms that enable it to survive under particular conditions. Here, we will dwell on some of the basic questions about microbial adaptation, biodiversity, and their relationships with other living beings using a genomic approach. We will also focus on the environment, trying to understand how such tiny little creatures are capable of solving their daily problems, and how they can alter the places in which they live. Learning about these mechanisms will not only provide us with knowledge about life in general but will also help us to understand these organisms as a fundamental component of our ecosystem, including their harmful and beneficial effects in all aspects of our daily life, which can be translated into useful applications in almost any imaginable way.

Microbial Biodiversity

Microbial Biodiversity PDF Author: P. Ponmurugan
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1527548597
Category : Nature
Languages : en
Pages : 220

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Book Description
Biodiversity is among the richest treasures of the earth. Despite their small size, microbes play a vital role in environmental monitoring and making the earth sustainable. Microorganisms preserve and assist plants and animals o either directly or indirectly, and, due to their omnipresence in nature, they inhabit conditions such as extreme temperatures, water, soil, salt, medical wastes, agricultural wastes, and air. Microbes are also important in human culture and play an essential role in existence of life. They are present in food fermentation, sewage treatment, medical, agricultural, and soil waste, antibiotics, soil fertility, model organisms, and human microbiota, aid with decomposition, and are responsible for infectious diseases. This volume represents an important contribution to the field, highlighting the importance of microbial biodiversity to society.

Principles of Microbial Diversity

Principles of Microbial Diversity PDF Author: James W. Brown
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1683673417
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 593

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Book Description
Every speck of dust, drop of water, and grain of soil and each part of every plant and animal contain their own worlds of microbes. Designed as a key text for upper-level undergraduates majoring in microbiology, genetics, or biology, Principles of Microbial Diversity provides a solid curriculum for students to explore the enormous range of biological diversity in the microbial world. Within these richly illustrated pages, author and professor James W. Brown provides a practical guide to microbial diversity from a phylogenetic perspective in which students learn to construct and interpret evolutionary trees from DNA sequences. He then offers a survey of the "tree of life" that establishes the necessary basic knowledge about the microbial world. Finally, the author draws the student's attention to the universe of microbial diversity with focused studies of the contributions that specific organisms make to the ecosystem. Principles of Microbial Diversity fills an empty niche in microbiology textbooks by providing an engaging, cutting-edge view of the "microbial zoo" that exists around us, covering bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, and viruses.

Psychrophiles: From Biodiversity to Biotechnology

Psychrophiles: From Biodiversity to Biotechnology PDF Author: Rosa Margesin
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540743359
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 462

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Book Description
Cold adaptation includes a complex range of structural and functional adaptations at the level of all cellular constituents, and these adaptations render cold-adapted organisms particularly useful for biotechnological applications. This book presents the most recent knowledge of (i) boundary conditions for microbial life in the cold, (ii) microbial diversity in various cold ecosystems, (iii) molecular cold adaptation mechanisms and (iv) the resulting biotechnological perspectives.

Biodiversity of Microbial Life

Biodiversity of Microbial Life PDF Author: Staley
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780471254324
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 352

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Book Description


Microbiology: A Very Short Introduction

Microbiology: A Very Short Introduction PDF Author: Nicholas P. Money
Publisher: OUP Oxford
ISBN: 0191503916
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description
In recent decades we have come to realize that the microbial world is hugely diverse, and can be found in the most extreme environments. Fungi, single-celled protists, bacteria, archaea, and the vast array of viruses and sub-viral particles far outnumber plants and animals. Microbes, we now know, play a critical role in ecosystems, in the chemistry of atmosphere and oceans, and within our bodies. The field of microbiology, armed with new techniques from molecular biology, is now one of the most vibrant in the life sciences. In this Very Short Introduction Nicholas P. Money explores not only the traditional methods of microscopy and laboratory culture but also the modern techniques of genetic detection and DNA sequencing, genomic analysis, and genetic manipulation. In turn he demonstrates how advances in microbiology have had a tremendous impact on the areas of medicine, agriculture, and biotechnology. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.