Algae and Human Affairs provides the only current comprehensive survey of the major roles of algae in present and future human life. This detailed, up-to-date synthesis is divided into four sections. The first reviews the natural roles of algae as sources of oxygen, organic carbon compounds, and as bases of food-chains for higher trophic levels. The second group of chapters deals with the commercial and economic value of algae to industry, energy, waste treatment, and agriculture (i.e. algae as an important source of food and food additives, such as the carageenan used in dairy products). The third section discusses the detrimental, sometimes disastrous, effects of algae in the form of red-tide organisms, weeds, producers of freshwater toxins, and marine biofouling. The final section considers current applications and future potential of algae to industry, in general, and, in particular, to space exploration and genetic engineering.

Eilif Dahl, who died in 1993, had one of the most original and creative minds in plant geography. His approach went far beyond the description of distribution patterns and the establishment of correlations between distributions and particular climatic variables. His understanding of physiological mechanisms that influenced and controlled the observed distributional patterns was a key feature of his numerous ideas and hypotheses. He was also aware of the importance of history as an influence on present-day plant distribution, especially in arctic plants. In The Phytogeography of Northern Europe Dahl brings to bear his wide range of interests in physics, chemistry, geology, climatology, meteorology and mathematics, as well as plant ecology and plant systematics, to analyse and explain the distribution of individual plant taxa across north-western Europe. This book will stand as a testament to the ideas and inspiration of a fine scientist.

The central thesis of this book is that Volvox and its unicellular and colonial relatives provide a wholly unrivalled opportunity to explore the proximate and ultimate causes underlying the evolution, from unicellular ancestors, of multicellular organisms with fully differentiated cell types. A major portion of the book is devoted to reviewing what is known about the genetic, cellular and molecular basis of development in the most extensively studied species of Volvox: V. cateri, which exhibits a complete division of labour between mortal somatic cells and immortal germ cells. However, this topic has been put in context by first considering the ecological conditions and cytological preconditions that appear to have fostered the evolution of organisms of progressively increasing size and with progressively increasing tendency to produce terminally differentiated somatic cells. The book concludes by raising the question of whether the germensoma dichotomy may have evolved by similar or different genetic pathways in different species of Volvox. Biologists and phycologists interested in development, genetics and cellular evolution will find this a fascinating work.

A rewritten and re-organised edition of The Physiological Ecology of Seaweeds (1985). Seaweed Ecology and Physiology surveys the broad literature, but it is not merely an update of the earlier book. This book contains an introductory chapter reviewing seaweed morphology, cytology, and life histories. The chapter on community level ecology now includes six guest essays by senior algal ecologists which conveys the excitement of phycological research. The treatment of tropical seaweeds had been expanded, reflecting the growing literature from tropical regions, and the authors' experiences in the tropics. The final chapter on mariculture is much larger, and includes a case study on how principles of physiological ecology were applied in developing the carrageenan industry. Finally there is an appendix summarising the taxonomic position and nomenclature of the species mentioned in the book.

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.

Algae and Human Affairs provides the only current comprehensive survey of the major roles of algae in present and future human life. This detailed, up-to-date synthesis is divided into four sections. The first reviews the natural roles of algae as sources of oxygen, organic carbon compounds, and as bases of food-chains for higher trophic levels. The second group of chapters deals with the commercial and economic value of algae to industry, energy, waste treatment, and agriculture (i.e. algae as an important source of food and food additives, such as the carageenan used in dairy products). The third section discusses the detrimental, sometimes disastrous, effects of algae in the form of red-tide organisms, weeds, producers of freshwater toxins, and marine biofouling. The final section considers current applications and future potential of algae to industry, in general, and, in particular, to space exploration and genetic engineering.

Building on the success of the first edition and featuring contributions from leading experts in the field, this expanded and thoroughly revised second edition provides an indispensable guide to the freshwater and terrestrial algae of the British Isles. It is an up-to-date account of and identification tool for more than 2400 algal species (excluding diatoms), highlighting their wider distribution around the world. Detailed descriptions are fully illustrated with clear line drawings and photographs including 190 full-page plates, eight of which are full colour. In addition, user-friendly keys enable the accurate identification of specimens to the level of genus and species. This edition includes expanded information on ecology and the implications of recent molecular research, along with coverage of 200 extra species. The accompanying online material provides a colour photo catalogue, highly illustrated articles and video clips, making this the comprehensive reference tool for both researchers and professionals in the field.

This book deals with the lifestyles of phytoplankton, the microscopic plant life living in the open waters of lakes, ponds and rivers and makes frequent references to the phytoplankton of the sea. It reviews adaptations required of organisms to live their lives independently of solid surfaces and the different ways that these have been achieved. Chapters dealing with particular topics are arranged in approximately the order in which they become a problem to the organism: How can it stay up in the water? Can it gain sufficient light and nutrients? How fast can it grow under different conditions? And what are the results of sinking out, feeding by animals, attacks by parasitic fungi and bacteria? The final chapter assembles this information to show ways in which plankton changes with season and through much longer periods of time, contrasting the behaviours in different types of lakes. This book is important for two reasons: it is the first major book on the subject for some years and projects many recent research findings; and the approach departs from previous volumes in concentrating on needs and adaptive responses to them.

The contributors include some of the most eminent specialists in the field of phycology. This volume focuses on cytological and developmental methods, each method already has been applied successfully to algae, and practical examples are given.

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.

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.

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.

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.

"Read this book and you will learn how photosynthesis was discovered, how it works, and how we can produce more food to feed the world." - PAUL NURSE, Nobel Prize winner and author of What is Life? In Light to Life, biologist Raffael Jovine takes us on a journey of discovery into the intricate, beautiful and often surprising processes that convert energy from the sun into life and how all-important these are to our survival. Despite the unprecedented challenges the Earth faces from global warming, habitat loss, air pollution and population growth; Jovine shows us that there is hope to be found. Photosynthesis is the very source of life: it has the power not just to produce food, but to reshape continents, drive biogeochemical cycles, stabilise the climate and regulate weather. In this exciting, revelatory book, Jovine unveils a blueprint for the future: greening the desert, bringing the ocean on land, planting mangrove forests and oyster banks, growing algae for animal feed, human food and soil carbon... He demonstrates how by harnessing photosynthesis we can regenerate the planet and revise the way we human beings interact with it. This book will help you to see the world in a different way, in all its wonderful detail - through the photosynthetic pigments in your eyes.

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.

The Chlamydomonas Sourcebook, Third Edition, Volume Three: Cell Motility and Behavior has been fully revised and updated to include the wealth of new resources for the Chlamydomonas community. The book presents the latest advances in the area from an international array of expert authors, reflecting significant advancements in our understanding of the role of basal bodies and flagella in human diseases. In addition, employing quantitative proteomics/mass spectroscopy as well as cryo EM tomography and single particle cryo EM has revolutionized our knowledge of the axoneme in terms of the location of proteins and their interactions. Current insights on mitosis and cytokinesis, flagellar assembly and motility, intraflagellar transport, and more will ensure use of this reference as a guide for understanding human diseases of the cilium.

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.

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.

The Handbook of Microalgae-based Processes and Products provides a complete overview of all aspects involved in the production and utilization of microalgae resources at commercial scale. Divided into four parts (fundamentals, microalgae-based processes, microalgae-based products, and engineering approaches applied to microalgal processes and products), the book explores the microbiology and metabolic aspects of microalgae, microalgal production systems, wastewater treatment based in microalgae, CO2 capture using microalgae, microalgae harvesting techniques, and extraction and purification of biomolecules from microalgae. It covers the largest number of microalgal products of commercial relevance, including biogas, biodiesel, bioethanol, biohydrogen, single-cell protein, single-cell oil, biofertilizers, pigments, polyunsaturated fatty acids, bioactive proteins, peptides and amino acids, bioactive polysaccharides, sterols, bioplastics, UV-screening compounds, and volatile organic compounds. Moreover, it presents and discusses the available engineering tools applied to microalgae biotechnology, such as process integration, process intensification, and techno-economic analysis applied to microalgal processes and products, microalgal biorefineries, life cycle assessment, and exergy analysis of microalgae-based processes and products. The coverage of a broad range of potential microalgae processes and products in a single volume makes this handbook an indispensable reference for engineering researchers in academia and industry in the fields of bioenergy, sustainable development, and high-value compounds from biomass, as well as graduate students exploring those areas. Engineering professionals in bio-based industries will also find valuable information here when planning or implementing the use of microalgal technologies.

In this book, the authors present current research in the study of the biology, geographical distribution and economic importance of dinoflagellates. Topics discussed in this compilation include the distribution, toxicity and impact on aquaculture dynamics of toxic dinoflagellates' blooms in the austral pacific region; an overview of the ecophysiology, molecular biology, and ecological impacts of the toxic bioluminescent dinoflagellate pyrodinium bahamense; and dinoflagellates of the Baikal Region.