ABSTRACT
Marine micro-organisms play a vital role in the maintenance of our planet, a fact which will have great bearing on our ability to respond to problems such as population increase, over-exploitation of fisheries, climate change and population. Powerful new tools, especially in molecular biology, remote sensing and deep-sea exploration, have led to astonishing discoveries of the abundance and diversity of marine microbial life and its role in global ecology.
New tools and an increased interest in ecological factors have caused an upsurge of interest in this field of study. The book aims to convey the fascinating discoveries and great importance of this fast moving discipline to the student. Marine Microbiology is divided into three sections: the first reviews the main features of the marine environment and key aspects of marine microbial life; the second looks at the role of marine microorganisms in ecology, and the final section considers some of the applications of this knowledge, looking into areas such as disease and biodegradation.
1. Microbes in the Marine Environment 2. Methods in Marine Microbiology 3. Metabolic Diversity and Ecophysiology 4. Marine Bacteria 5. Marine Archaea 6. Marine Eukaryotic Microbes 7. Marine Viruses 8. Ocean Processes – Marine Microbes and the Carbon Cycle 9. Nutrient Cycles – Nitrogen, Sulphur and Phosphorus 10. Symbiotic Associations 11. Microbial Diseases of Marine Organisms 12. Marine Microbes as Agents of Human Disease 13. Microbial Aspects of Marine Biofouling, Biodeterioration and Pollution 14. Marine Microbes and Biotechnology
