Phycology is the study of algae, the primary photosynthetic organisms in freshwater and marine food chains. Since the publication of the first edition in 1981, this textbook has established itself as a classic resource on this subject. Aimed at upper-level undergraduate and graduate students in phycology, limnology and biological oceanography, this revised edition maintains the format of previous editions, whilst incorporating the recent developments in the field such as: the potential and challenges of producing algae biofuel; the proliferation of algal toxins; and the development of new molecular tools and technologies on ancestry, phylogeny, and taxonomy of algae.

The utilization of unconventional microbial sources, particularly microalgae, for the production of feed, food, food additives, pharmaceuticals and fine chemicals is growing in importance. Research in the field is expanding worldwide. The author presents an account of research in algal production and utilization. The book explores in detail all steps of the subject, from the preparation of stock cultures to the growth in large outdoor ponds. Dr Becker provides a compilation of the different methods employed worldwide for the artificial cultivation of different microalgae, including recipes for culture media, description of outdoor and indoor cultivation systems as well as harvesting and processing methods. The book will be essential reading for advanced undergraduates, postgraduates and researchers in the field.

This book presents a wide-ranging introduction to the diatoms together with an illustrated description of over 250 genera. Diatoms are important as perhaps the commonest group of autotrophic plants on earth and are abundant in all waters and on soils and moist surfaces. The introduction describes the diatom cell in detail, the structure of the wall (often extremely beautiful in design), the cell contents and aspects of life cycle and cell division. The generic atlas section is the first account of diatom systematics since 1928 (Karsten in Engler and Prantl: Die Nauturlichen Pflanzenfamilien) and each generic description is accompanied by scanning electron micrographs to show the characteristic structure. Most of the latter have been prepared specially for this work from the authors' own collections. The Diatoms will be the standard reference work on the group for years to come and is an essential reference volume.

Communities of microscopic plant life, or phytoplankton, dominate the Earth's aquatic ecosystems. This important new book by Colin Reynolds covers the adaptations, physiology and population dynamics of phytoplankton communities in lakes and rivers and oceans. It provides basic information on composition, morphology and physiology of the main phyletic groups represented in marine and freshwater systems and in addition reviews recent advances in community ecology, developing an appreciation of assembly processes, co-existence and competition, disturbance and diversity. Although focussed on one group of organisms, the book develops many concepts relevant to ecology in the broadest sense, and as such will appeal to graduate students and researchers in ecology, limnology and oceanography.

Chrysophytes are beautiful and delicate organisms living mostly in freshwater. They are pivotal for studies of protistan evolution, studies of food web dynamics in oligotrophic freshwater ecosystems, and for assessment of environmental degradation resulting from eutrophication and acid rain. They also represent excellent model cellular systems for studying processes inherent in basic metabolism, biomineralization, endo- and exocytosis and macro-assembly of cell surface layers. This book gives a broad overview of chrysophytes and contains chapters by leading experts organized under the themes of phylogeny, systematics and evolution; development, physiology, and nutrition; and ecology, paleoecology, and reproduction. The book contains major contributions towards a reorganization of chrysophyte systematics, plus comprehensive reviews of chrysophyte basic metabolism, biomineralization and siliceous scale deposition, ecology, paleoecology, and a history of chrysophyte research. Contributors present reviews of the literature in their particular area and also present ideas for future research.

A state-of-the-art account of research in algal production and utilization. The book explores in detail all steps of the subject, from the preparation of stock cultures to the growth in large outdoor ponds. Dr. Becker provides a compilation of the different methods employed worldwide for the artificial cultivation of different microalgae, including recipes for culture media, description of outdoor and indoor cultivation systems, as well as harvesting and processing methods.

Hydrogen could be the fuel of the future. Some microorganisms can produce hydrogen upon illumination. Biological methods of production could be greener than chemical or physical production methods, but the potential of biological methods is still being harnessed. This comprehensive book highlights the key steps necessary for future exploitation of solar-light-driven hydrogen production by microalgae. The highly regarded editors bring together 46 contributors from key institutions in order to suggest and examine the most significant issues that must be resolved to achieve the goal of practical implementation, while proposing reliable methodologies and approaches to solve such issues. This 19 chapter book will be an indispensable resource for academics, undergraduate and graduate students, postgraduates and postdoctoral scholars, energy scientists, bio/chemical engineers, and policy makers working across the field of biohydrogen and bioenergy.

Microalgae are primary producers of oxygen and exhibit an enormous potential for biotechnological applications. Microalgae cultivation is also an interesting option for wastewater treatment. These microorganisms are efficient in recovering high amounts of nitrogen, inorganic phosphorus, and heavy metals from effluents. Furthermore, microalgae are responsible for the reduction of CO2 from gaseous effluent and from the atmosphere, reducing the greenhouse gases effect. On the other hand, microalgae biomass can be used for the production of pigments, lipids, foods, and renewable energy. The culture of microalgae is not a new issue, since for many decades they have been employed with aquaculture purposes. In fact, some species of Nostoc, Arthrospira (Spirulina) and Aphanizomenon species have been used as food for thousands of years for food applications. The treatment of wastewaters employing microalgae has been reported for decades (specifically for the elimination of phosphorus and nitrogen compounds). Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in the production of biofuels. Bioethanol, biohydrogen, bio-methane, biodiesel and other novel products can be obtained using microalgae as biomass or metabolic products (sugars, lipids, etc). In the near future, microalgae can be oriented (via molecular engineering) to the production of the hole biofuels, such as biodiesel or bio-turbosins. Microalgae and Other Phototrophic Bacteria is a book which will provide information for academics students, policy makers and the general public regarding the state of the art in the field, as well as detailed descriptions of the methodologies employed for culture, processing, recovery and new products. Aspects covered by this book are the microalgae and other phototrophic bacteria.

Yet another Springer world-beater, this is the first ever book devoted to the chemical ecology of algae. It covers both marine and freshwater habitats and all types of algae, from seaweeds to phytoplankton. While the book emphasizes the ecological rather than chemical aspects of the field, it does include a unique introductory chapter that serves as a primer on algal natural products chemistry.

Algae are ubiquitous; a multitude of species ranging from microscopic unicells to gigantic kelps inhabit the world's oceans, freshwater bodies, soils, rocks, and trees, and are responsible for most of the global production of organic matter by photosynthesis. They thus play a fundamental role in the world's ecosystems and a reliable and modern introduction to their kaleidoscopic diversity, systematics, and phylogeny is indispensable. In this textbook, the main groups of algae (divisions or phyla) are considered in turn. Each chapter begins with a summary of the principal characteristics of the group and interesting aspects of ecology and evolution. The final chapter is a synthesis, in which the phylogeny of the algae is discussed in relation to the evolution of other living organisms, primarily on the basis of evidence from recent molecular studies. This book is the completely revised and updated edition of a highly acclaimed German work, which was heralded for its clarity as well as its breadth and depth of information. This new edition takes into account recent reevaluations in algal systematics and phylogeny provided by the powerful techniques of molecular genetics and electron microscopy, as well as more traditional life history studies. The book will be appropriate as an undergraduate text and as a reference for professionals in the field.

In this book, Arthur C. Mathieson and Clinton J. Dawes offer a complete and current treatment of the seaweeds of the Northwest Atlantic, including taxonomic descriptions, keys, and 108 plates of detailed line drawings of this rich assemblage of marine algal species found between the Canadian Arctic and Maryland. It is designed to serve as an up-to-date reference work, classroom text, and field manual for botanists, marine biologists, naturalists, and students learning about the highly diverse marine algal flora of the Northwest Atlantic Ocean. The introductory chapter provides a historical review of seaweed studies as well as a description of 15 geographical sites designated in the text. Three chapters on the green, brown, and red alga include more than 256 genera, 510 species, 10 subspecies, 21 varieties, and 14 forms. New taxonomic combinations and descriptions of several previously undescribed taxa are also included in the text. The modern classification reviews molecular as well as reproductive, morphological, and biological data. The work represents more than forty years of research on Northwest Atlantic seaweeds and will aid researchers throughout the Northeast and Southwest Atlantic coasts. The authors detail the taxonomy, morphology, cytology, and name derivation of various taxonomic entities, as well as the ecology and distribution patterns of over 555 taxa. The text includes keys to genera and species, a glossary, and sources of further information.

Across the globe, an expanding circle of care is encompassing a growing number of species through efforts targeting biodiversity, profoundly revising the line between humans and nonhumans. Care of the Species examines infrastructures of care—labs and gardens in Spain and Mexico—where plant scientists grapple with the complexities of evolution and domestication.  John Hartigan Jr. uses ethnography to access the expertise of botanists and others engaged with cultivating biodiversity, providing various entry points for understanding plants in the world around us. He begins by tracing the historical emergence of race through practices of care on nonhumans, showing how this history informs current thinking about conservation. With geneticists working on maize, Hartigan deploys Foucault’s concept of care of the self to analyze how domesticated species are augmented by an afterlife of data. In the botanical gardens of Spain, Care of the Species explores seed banks, herbariums, and living collections, depicting the range of ways people interact with botanical knowledge. This culminates in Hartigan’s effort to engage plants as ethnographic subjects through a series of imaginative “interview� techniques. Care of the Species contributes to debates about the concept of species through vivid ethnography, developing a cultural perspective on evolutionary dynamics while using ethnography to theorize species. In tackling the racial dimension of efforts to go “beyond the human,� this book reveals a far greater stratum of sameness than commonly assumed.

Created in response to requests from longtime users, this addition to the acclaimed book, Lichens of North America, compiles updated and expanded keys for the identification of these fascinating organisms. An ideal laboratory resource, this large spiral-bound volume covers over 2,000 species of lichens indigenous to the continent. There is no comparable volume available for classroom, workshop, or private use. The revised keys are an indispensable identification tool for botanists, students, scientists, and enthusiasts alike.

This book presents current research in the study of the ecology, economic uses and environmental impacts of algae. Topics include ultraviolet irradiation to control algal proliferation in the environment; alga Trachydiscus minutus as a new source of polyunsaturated fatty acids; systematics and taxonomic keys for the marine green algal family monostromataceae; the ecophysiology of soil algae; and an evaluation of the total phenolic content and antioxidant activities of crude extracts from red alga, Corallina elongata.

In the late 1970s, a Stuttgart zoo imported a lush, bright green seaweed for its aquarium. "Caulerpa taxifolia" was captively bred by the zoo and exposed, for years, to chemicals and ultraviolet light. Eventually a sample of it found its way to the Oceanographic Museum in Monaco, then headed by Jacques Cousteau. Five years later, while cleaning its tanks, that museum dumped the pretty green plant into the Mediterranean. This supposedly benign little plant - that no one thought could survive the waters of the Mediterranean - now covers 10,000 acres of the coasts of France, Spain, Italy and Croatia, and has devastated the Mediterranean ecosystem. And it continues to grow, unstoppable and toxic. When Alexandre Meinesz discovered a square-yard patch of it in 1984, he warned biologists and oceanographers of the potential species invasion. His calls went unheeded. At that point, one person could have weeded the small patch out and ended the problem. Now, however, the plant has defeated the French Navy, thwarted scientific efforts to halt its rampage, and continues its destructive journey into the Adriatic Sea. This text presents the biological and political horror story of this invasion. For despite Meinesz's pleas to scientists and the French government, no agency was willing to take responsibility for the seaweed, and while the buck was passed, the killer algae grew. In short, this work - part detective story and part bureaucratic object lesson - is a classic case of a devastating ecological invasion and how "not" to deal with it.

This book reflects the themes of the three one-day sessions of the British Bryological Society Centenary Symposium, deals with origins, evolution and systematics of bryophytes and covers a range of interrelated topics involving function of bryophytes and interactions with their environment.