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The rapid expansion od industry and the excessive demands made on limited natural resources have caused genuine concern at all levels of society. In the past this concern has concentrated on plants and animals and their relationships with their environments, but now attention is also turning towards microorganisms whose role is crucial to so many natural processes - from global life and mineral cycles through to the production of beer and milk products. After a brief introduction to microbiology this book concentrates on the ecological aspects of microbial life covering a wide variety of topics including structure, behaviour, growth, dispersal, interactions and how microbes act as symbionts and pathogens. Such a wide-ranging interdisciplinary approach will appeal to undergraduate and graduate students of microbiology, plant and animal ecology, agronomy, forestry and environmental sciences. Professionals working in the same fields will also find it informative as will those working in plant pathology and soil, aquatic, medical and food microbiology. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Microbial Ecology Review
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5 ***** Brilliant for advanced students. Proberbly not so good for dummies.

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From the Chapman & Hall Microbiology Series this uniqueresource offers specific experimental and practical applications ofmathematical modeling in microbial ecology. The text presents avariety of systems, ranging from subcellular systems to ecosystems,and shows how to test whether the models provide a goodrepresentation of the system. The book also encourages furtherdevelopment and application of modeling to burgeoning problemsassociated with microbial ecology, such as the pollution anddestruction of pesticides and herbicides. ... Read more

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This advanced textbook provides a unique overview of the microbial communities (normal indigenous microbiota) inhabiting those regions of the human body that are exposed to the external environment, including the skin, eyes, oral cavity and the respiratory, urinary, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts.In order to understand why particular organisms are able to colonise an anatomical region and why the resulting microbial community has a particular composition, an ecological approach is essential. Consequently, the key anatomical and physiological characteristics of each body site are described throughout the book. The crucial roles of the indigenous microbiota in protecting against exogenous pathogens, regulating the development of our immune system and mucosae, and providing nutrients are also discussed. The involvement of these organisms in infections of healthy and debilitated individuals are discussed throughout and methods of manipulating the composition of the indigenous microbiota for the benefit of human health are also described. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Exhaustive and Tedious Textbook Worth the Information
I read the 2005 edition. This textbook is filled with statistics of the human body in relation to its commensals and other microbes. How many words need to be spoken aloud only to have the same microbe dispersion rate as a vigorous cough? How many vitamins are produced by human microbes? How many grams of bacteria leave the body daily through its rear end? And other nagging questions get finally answered. Plus practical ones, like which probiotics to take to counter antibiotic diarrhea and what vegans should supply artificially. I had also never heard before that lactobacilli can kill HI-viruses.

By reading this book and looking at the numerous microscopic pictures and diagrams you will learn virtually everything you ever wanted to know about our body roomies, from our eyes, skin and the colon to the reproductive system and all other "infested" organs. This 460-page text book contains 390 regular text pages, and yes, be warned, it's largely a very dry reading and probably best for those who have to bite through the material for professional reasons.

Much more grippingly written are Riddled with Life: Friendly Worms, Ladybug Sex, and the Parasites That Make Us Who We Are and Good Germs, Bad Germs: Health and Survival in a Bacterial World by a science journalist. Which is also about the history of antibiotic treatments and their failure due to mounting resistance. About former parasites, today our energy source and DNA family tree provider, mitochondria, read Power, Sex, Suicide: Mitochondria and the Meaning of Life. A more general biological approach of symbiosis is Liaisons of Life: From Hornworts to Hippos--How the Unassuming Microbe has Driven Evolution. A theoretic re-thinking, including reconstructing taxonomy and theories about gaia, read Symbiotic Planet: A New Look At Evolution. If you like a coffee table book of the nasty treat, in which you can also read, which (utterly unexpected!) places in your household are the most yukky ones, "enjoy" the Canadian Human Wildlife: The Life That Lives on Us.

Should be a required med school textbook!
This very thorough textbook is an enlightening visitation of an ignored organ.The trillions of microbes inhabiting our bodies certainly impact our state of health.Those desiring to help others or themselves should purchase and read this textbook.I'm glad I read it, its help me to better understand how health is affected by our parasitic partners. ... Read more

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The rhizosphere is a very complex environment. The interactions among microorganisms and the plant roots are essential for the nutrition, growth and productivity of the plant. On the other hand, the microorganisms also benefit from their interactions with the plant. Rhizosphere studies are of interest to agriculturists, soil biologists, chemists, microbiologists and molecular biologists.

Microbial Activity in the Rhizosphere will be useful to the beginner as well as to experienced scientists. It starts with contributions dealing with the basic concepts in rhizosphere biology and the techniques used in these studies. Further topics include the bacterial community composition, rhizosphere of arbuscular mycorrhizal roots, significance of AM fungi in relation to form and functioning of the root system, the role of microsymbionts in plant growth and health, and the impact of rhizosphere environment on pre-infection behaviour of Oomycetous plant pathogens like Aphanomyces, Phytophthora and Pythium.

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A radically differently and extraordinarily effective approach to illness and health.

The Microbial Balancing Program connects humans and nature in a newand intimate way. In this program, human health and balance areachieved by focusing not on the human, but on the health and balanceof the vast and vibrant population of living organisms calledmicrobes. Up to now, we have developed a highly adversarialrelationship with viruses, fungi, bacteria and protozoa. We controlthem by killing them. After all, we humans are a lot bigger than theyare and killing the "little buggers" should not be an issue for us. Inthe Microbial Balancing Program, we turn 180 degrees from thisthinking and deal with human health issues by cooperating with andensuring the balance and well being of the "little buggers." We makepeace, not war. . . Instead of attempting to dominate and controlviruses, fungi, bacteria and protozoa, we can use cooperation andcare. We can change our attitude and how we approach our relationshipwith microbes. As a result of our changes, we can turn infectiousdisease on its ear. ... Read more

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Volume 15 covers such topical matter as the effects ofultraviolet radiation on phytoplankton and the ecology andbiogeochemistry of in situ groundwater bioremediation. ... Read more

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Aquatic microbial ecology, a growing interdisciplinary field, has become increasingly compartmentalized in recent years. The aim of this volume is to propose a framework for biochemical and molecular approaches, which are employed ever more widely in studies of aquatic microbial communities and ecosystem functioning. The book presents state of the art applications of modern molecular research techniques to a range of topics in ectoenzymes microbial carbon metabolism bacterial population dynamics RNA chemotaxonomy of microbial communities plasmids and adaptation to environmental conditions. Written for limnologists, marine biologists, and all researchers interested in environmental microbiology and molecular aspects of ecology, this volume will provide a stimulating introduction to this emerging field. ... Read more

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This volume describes the regulatory mechanisms which operate at the level of gene expression. The authors primarily discuss bacterial systems but some consideration is also given to lower eukaryotes. The early chapters of the book deal with regulation of gene expression in the context of cellular physiology. Subsequent chapters deal with the major new developments in our understanding of the molecular basis of the control of gene expression, namely: promoter/operator structure; DNA-protein interaction; control of mRNA turnover; positive regulation of gene expression; antisense RNA; DNA supercoiling; and transcription termination. The final two chapters consider specific problems in gene expression in Streptomycetes and in Dictyostelium. ... Read more

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This book is an advanced undergraduate text in microbial ecology. It is selective in its subject matter, but each subject included is covered at a level suitable for advanced undergraduates and graduates. The volume is intended as a sequel to Microbial Ecology: a Conceptual Approach, published in 1979, and edited by Drs Lynch and Poole. ... Read more