Book Review 18
Review
Title: Processes in Microbial Ecology
ISBN 13: 9780199586929
Published: 2012
Pages: 312
Cost: $99
Rating (1-5): 5
Submitted By: McLain, Jean E.
Date posted: August 08, 2012
This well-written book provides comprehensive information on current knowledge in Microbial Ecology
The important role of microorganisms in natural environments was recognized by leading microbiologists in the late nineteenth century, when groundbreaking work by Beijernick and Winogradsky (among others) elucidated the primary role of microorganisms in the circulation of elements on the earth. It was not until 1964 that the work of T. Brock “Principles of Microbial Ecology” cemented the concept of Microbial Ecology as a science that unified soil and water microbiology, food preservation and fermentation, medical microbiology, and biogeochemistry. Since that time, strong Microbial Ecology texts, authored by such notable researchers as Martin Alexander, and Ronald Atlas and Richard Bartha, have been utilized by a generation of science professionals.
Why then, the need for another Microbial Ecology text? Because advances in Microbial Ecology have recently had increasing impact on all branches of science. Dr. David L. Kirchman, the Maxwell P. and Mildred H. Harrington Professor of Marine Science at the University of Delaware, has had a 35-plus year career in Marine Microbiology. His current projects, ranging from identifying the role of photoheterotrophic microbes in organic matter uptake to metagenomic analysis of microbial assemblages, are on the cutting edge of environmental microbiology, affording Dr. Kirchman the expertise to generate a current and comprehensive Microbial Ecology textbook. This new text covers “traditional” subjects such as microbial growth and energy and carbon and nitrogen cycling, but also includes sections on the emerging science of geomicrobiology and the use of metagenomics to gain insight into microbial diversity and function. As stated in the Preface, “Microbial ecology is now examining some of the most important branches in science and is helping to solve some of the most serious environmental problems facing our society today.” From the remediation of coastlines following enormous oil spills, to addressing impacts of global change on Arctic ice, to addressing groundwater degradation, microbial ecologists are leading research teams around the World.
This soft cover textbook should appeal to researchers, advanced undergraduates, and graduate students. The book would be best understood by readers with some understanding of biology, microbiology, and environmental chemistry. The book begins (Chapters 1 – 4) with basic environmental microbiology, discussing different functional groupings, microbial growth, and energy sources. These chapters include discussions of a range of habitats, from soils, freshwater, oceans, and biofilms. Chapters 5 – 7 discuss promotion and limitation of microbial growth in natural environments. The first 7 chapters mainly focus on bacteria, fungi, and protozoa but Chapter 8 covers the emerging science of virus ecology, including virus replication and facilitation of genetic exchange. Chapter 9, focusing on the community structure of microbes in natural environments, covers the relatively recent “discovery” that Archaea do not exist only in extreme environments, and the problems associated with the use of 16S rRNA as a taxonomic and phylogenetic tool. Chapters 10 and 11 cover recent revelations in metagenomics and processes in anoxic environments, while the final 2 chapters briefly address geomicrobiology and symbioses. It is unclear why detail on the microbial nitrogen cycle has been located near the back of the text (Chapter 12), when it seems that this information might have fit better near the front of the text (Chapter 2 or 3), with the discussion of carbon cycling. However, each chapter is well organized, contains relevant tables and illustrations, and for readers searching for additional information, the final reference list is highly comprehensive.
In summary, the fast-growing science of Microbial Ecology heightens the need for a modern text. This well-written book provides comprehensive information on current knowledge in Microbial Ecology, and neatly connects processes occurring at the micro scale to events happening at the organismal, regional, and global scale.