MICROBIAL ECOLOGY OF THE OCEANS, 3RD EDITION

Chapters 1-2 start out with a general introduction to the changes in the field observed in the last 8 years since the second edition. We have invited a highly respected author in the field, close to retirement, to give his view of the changes in the field and a prospect for the coming years.

Chapters 3-9 discuss the ecology, diversity and function of microbes and of microbial genes in the ocean. One of the chapters focuses on the smallest primary producers, and one on the viruses.

Chapters 10 and 11 deal with the structure of the microbial ecosystem, discussing in particular the sources of carbon for microbial growth.

Chapters 12 – 14 deal with the biology and ecology of some model organisms, on how we can model the whole of the marine microbes and discusses some of the trophic roles that have changed in the last years.

Finally, Chapter 15 deals with the role of microbes in the oceanic P cycle, as the role in the N cycle was already addressed in the previous book editions.

Aquatic microbial ecology has become a well-established discipline that is still growing in size and attracting practitioners from other disciplines.The third edition of Microbial Ecology of the Oceans, features new topics, as well as different approaches to subjects dealt with in previous editions. The book starts out with a general introduction to the changes in the field observed since the second edition, as well as looking at the prospects for the coming years. Chapters discuss ecology, diversity and function of microbes and of microbial genes in the ocean, as well as the structure of the microbial ecosystem, discussing in particular the sources of carbon for microbial growth. The biology and ecology of some model organisms, and how we can model the whole of the marine microbes are dealt with and some of the trophic roles that have changed in the last years are discussed. Finally, the role of microbes in the oceanic P cycle are presented.This book is for advanced undergraduates, beginning graduate students, and colleagues from other fields wishing to learn about microbes and the processes they mediate in marine systems.