Soil Protozoa


Book Description

Protozoa are active components of the soil microfauna. For example, they may stimulate bacterial metabolism and some fungal metabolites can lyse protozoa. They may be predators of bacteria and hence have a role in biological control. Their presence in groundwaters can be used as an indicator of pollution, while they are also being used to treat sewage in the activated-sludge and reed-bed processes. They are believed to be major secondary decomposers in soil and increased knowledge about these microorganisms is important to sustain soil fertility and food production. This book is the first in English for 65 years devoted entirely to soil protozoology. It is written by experienced microbiologists and should be of interest to protozoologists, other microbiologists, and soil scientists.




Ecology of Protozoa


Book Description

This book emphasises the important role that protozoa play in many natural ecosystems. To shed new light on their individual adaptive skills, the respective chapters examine the ecology and functional biology of this diverse group of eukaryotic microbes. Protozoa are well-established model organisms that exemplify many general problems in population ecology and community ecology, as well as evolutionary biology. Their particular characteristics, like large population sizes, life cycles and motile sensory behaviour, have a profound impact on their survival, distribution, and interaction with other species. Thus, readers will also be introduced to protozoan habitats in a broad range of environments. Even though this group of unicellular organisms is highly diverse, the authors focus on shared ecological patterns. Students and scientists working in the areas of eukaryotic microbiology and ecology will appreciate this updated and revised 2nd Edition as a valuable reference guide to the “lifestyles” of protozoa.




Indicators for Waterborne Pathogens


Book Description

Recent and forecasted advances in microbiology, molecular biology, and analytical chemistry have made it timely to reassess the current paradigm of relying predominantly or exclusively on traditional bacterial indicators for all types of waterborne pathogens. Nonetheless, indicator approaches will still be required for the foreseeable future because it is not practical or feasible to monitor for the complete spectrum of microorganisms that may occur in water, and many known pathogens are difficult to detect directly and reliably in water samples. This comprehensive report recommends the development and use of a "tool box" approach by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency and others for assessing microbial water quality in which available indicator organisms (and/or pathogens in some cases) and detection method(s) are matched to the requirements of a particular application. The report further recommends the use of a phased, three-level monitoring framework to support the selection of indicators and indicator approaches.Â







Soil Protists


Book Description

Protists are by far the most diverse and abundant eukaryotes in soils. Nevertheless, very little is known about individual representatives, the diversity and community composition and ecological functioning of these important organisms. For instance, soil protists are commonly lumped into a single functional unit, i.e. bacterivores. This work tackles missing knowledge gaps on soil protists and common misconceptions using multi-methodological approaches including cultivation, microcosm experiments and environmental sequencing. In a first part, several new species and genera of amoeboid protists are described showing their immense unknown diversity. In the second part, the enormous complexity of soil protists communities is highlighted using cultivation- and sequence-based approaches. In the third part, the present of diverse mycophagous and nematophagous protists are shown in functional studies on cultivated taxa and their environmental importance supported by sequence-based approaches. This work is just a start for a promising future of soil Protistology that is likely to find other important roles of these diverse organisms.




The Ciliated Protozoa


Book Description

distances between groups of ciliates were as vast as significant hurdles to obtain copyright permissions the genetic distances between plants and animals for the over 1,000 required illustrations, and I put – THE major eukaryotic kingdoms at that time! the publication schedule ahead of this element. I continued to collaborate with Mitch, and in There are a number of significant illustrated guides 1991 my first “molecular” Magisterial student, to genera and species that have recently been pub- Spencer Greenwood, published an article estab- lished. References are made to these throughout lishing 1990 or thereabouts as the beginning of the book as sources that readers can consult for this the “Age of Refinement” – the period when gene aspect of ciliate diversity. A future project that I am sequencing techniques would deepen our under- contemplating is an illustrated guide to all the valid standing of the major lines of evolution within ciliate genera.




Viruses, Bacteria and Fungi in the Built Environment


Book Description

Viruses, Bacteria and Fungi in the Built Environment: Designing Healthy Indoor Environments opens with a brief introduction to viruses, bacteria and fungi in the built environment and discusses their impact on human health. Sections discuss the microbiology of building materials, the airborne transmission of viruses and bacteria in the built environment, and plumbing-associated microbiome. As the first book on this important area to be written in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this work will be a valuable reference resource for researchers, civil engineers, architects, postgraduate students, contractors and other professionals working and interested in the field of the built environment. Elements of building design, including choice of materials, ventilation and plumbing can have important implications for the microbiology of a building, and consequently, the health of the building's occupants. This important new reference work explains the microbiology of buildings and disease control in the built environment to those who design and implement new construction and renovate. - Provides an essential guide on the microbiology of buildings, covering bacteria, fungi and viruses on surfaces, in air and in water - Comprehensively examines how humidity influences fungal growth in several building materials - Includes important information about the airborne transmission of infectious agents - Addresses ventilation design to improve human health - Presents the first book on disease control in buildings since the COVID-19 pandemic




Biosafety in the Laboratory


Book Description

Biosafety in the Laboratory is a concise set of practical guidelines for handling and disposing of biohazardous material. The consensus of top experts in laboratory safety, this volume provides the information needed for immediate improvement of safety practices. It discusses high- and low-risk biological agents (including the highest-risk materials handled in labs today), presents the "seven basic rules of biosafety," addresses special issues such as the shipping of dangerous materials, covers waste disposal in detail, offers a checklist for administering laboratory safetyâ€"and more.




Ecology and Evolution in Anoxic Worlds


Book Description

Interactions with the oxic world are explored in the last chapter. The ecological and evolutionary significance of the arrival of oxygen in the Proterozoic is discussed in detail, especially as it eventually led to the possibility of long food chains.