Microbial ecology is now recognized to be fundamental for understanding the natural world around us and is essential for examining life in the oceans. For the first time, this book brings together international experts to explore the incredibly diverse collection of microbes (and viruses) found in the oceans and to dissect many of the processes mediated by these microbes in aquatic environments. Although the oceans are emphasized, the organisms and processes discussed in the book occur in nearly all natural environments, including rivers and lakes.

Microbial Ecology of the Oceans reviews some basics of marine microbiology and provides a foundation for researchers and students new to the field while also examining several questions currently being discussed in modern microbial ecology. The book brings together concepts from autoecological studies of individual bacterial groups and from ecological studies of microbial assemblages in the oceans. In addition to drawing on the rich history of microbiology, Microbial Ecology of the Oceans uses the latest advances in biological and chemical oceanography and limnology to examine the role of marine microbes and viruses in the oceans.

Some of the topics covered by this informative book include:

• Microbial evolution, as revealed by molecular techniques
• Microbes in carbon budgets and cycles
• Viruses and grazers of bacteria
• Competition between bacteria and phytoplankton for limited nutrients
• Marine symbiosis

Microbial Ecology of the Oceans elucidates the role of microbes in food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycles in the ocean. It will prove to be an indispensable resource for students and researchers in biological and chemical oceanography, geochemistry, marine chemistry, freshwater ecology, and microbiology.

Also in this series:

• Biofilms II: Analysis, Process, and Applications
  James D. Bryers
• Extremophiles: Microbial Life in Extreme Environments
  Koki Horikoshi, William D. Grant
• Wastewater Microbiology, Second Edition
  Gabriel Bitton