Search results for ""author david l. kirchman""

Wiley Series in Ecological and Applied Microbiology, Ralph Mitchell, Series Editor Microbial ecology is now recognized to be fundamental for understanding the natural world around us and is essential for examining life in the oceans. For the first time, this book brings together international experts to explore the incredibly diverse collection of microbes (and viruses) found in the oceans and to dissect many of the processes mediated by these microbes in aquatic environments. Although the oceans are emphasized, the organisms and processes discussed in the book occur in nearly all natural environments, including rivers and lakes. Microbial Ecology of the Oceans reviews some basics of marine microbiology andprovides a foundation for researchers and students new to the field while also examining several questions currently being discussed in modern microbial ecology. The book brings together concepts from autoecological studies of individual bacterial groups and from ecological studies of microbial assemblages in the oceans. In addition to drawing on the rich history of microbiology, Microbial Ecology of the Oceans uses the latest advances in biological and chemical oceanography and limnology to examine the role of marine microbes and viruses in the oceans. Some of the topics covered by this informative book include: * Microbial evolution, as revealed by molecular techniques * Microbes in carbon budgets and cycles * Viruses and grazers of bacteria * Competition between bacteria and phytoplankton for limited nutrientsMarine symbiosis Microbial Ecology of the Oceans elucidates the role of microbes in food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycles in the ocean. It will prove to be an indispensable resource for students and researchers in biological and chemical oceanography, geochemistry, marine chemistry, freshwater ecology, and microbiology. Also in this series: Biofilms II: Analysis, Process, and Applications, James D. Bryers; Extremophiles: Microbial Life in Extreme Environments, Koki Horikoshi, William D. Grant; Wastewater Microbiology, Second Edition, Gabriel Bitton

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For billions of years, microbes have produced and consumed greenhouse gases that regulate global temperature and in turn other aspects of our climate. The balance of these gases maintains Earth''s habitability. Methane, a greenhouse gas produced only by microbes, may have kept Earth out of a deep freeze billions of years ago. Likewise, variations in carbon dioxide, another greenhouse gas released by microbes and other organisms, help to explain the comings and goings of ice ages over the last million years.Now we face a human-made climate crisis with drastic consequences. The complete story behind greenhouse gases, however, involves microbes and their role in natural ecosystems. Microscopic organisms are also part of the solution, producing biofuels and other forms of green energy which keep fossil fuels in the ground. Other microbes can be harnessed to reduce the release of methane and nitrous oxide from agriculture, and geoengineering solutions that depend on microbes could pull carb

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Microbial ecology is the study of interactions among microbes in natural environments and their roles in biogeochemical cycles, food web dynamics, and the evolution of life. Microbes are the most numerous organisms in the biosphere and mediate many critical reactions in elemental cycles and biogeochemical reactions. Because they are essential players in the carbon cycle and related processes, microbial ecology is a vital science for understanding the role of the biosphere in global warming and the response of natural ecosystems to climate change. This second edition has been fully revised, restructured, and updated while remaining concise and accessible. It discusses the major processes carried out by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and other protists - the microbes - in freshwater, marine, and terrestrial ecosystems. The focus is on biogeochemical processes, starting with primary production and the initial fixation of carbon into cellular biomass, before exploring how that carbon is degraded in both oxygen-rich (oxic) and oxygen-deficient (anoxic) environments. These processes are in turn affected by ecological interactions, including competition for limiting nutrients, viral lysis, and predation by various protists in soils and aquatic habitats. The book neatly connects processes occurring at the micron scale to events happening at the global scale, including the carbon cycle and its connection to climate change issues. A final chapter is devoted to symbiosis and other relationships between microbes and larger organisms. Microbes have huge impacts not only on biogeochemical cycles, but also on the ecology and evolution of more complex forms of life, including humans.

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