Microbial Ecosystems of Antarctica

Examines the range of environments in Antarctica and the microbial communities that live within them.

Warwick F. Vincent (Author)

9780521544139, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 11 March 2004

320 pages
24.7 x 19 x 1.8 cm, 0.574 kg

This book provides a structured account of the full range of environments in Antarctica and of the microbial communities that live within them. Environments examined include: snow and ice; benthic marine; sea ice; lakes and streams; marginal ice; soil; the open ocean; rock. In the more extreme habitats of this region microscopic life forms constitute the entire biology of the habitat, but in all antarctic environments the microbial communities play a major and often dominant role in the transfer of carbon, nutrients and energy throughout the ecosystem. The book examines the major features of the chemical and physical environment in each habitat, and the influence of these features on the population structure and dynamics of their microbiota.

Preface
1. Introduction
2. Snow and ice ecosystems
3. Sea-ice ecosystems
4. The marginal-ice zone
5. The open ocean
6. Benthic marine environments
7. Lakes and streams
8. Soil ecosystems
9. Lithic ecosystems: the rock environments
10. Microbial strategies in Antarctica
11. Microbes and humans in Antarctica
Glossary
Appendixes
References
Index.

Subject Areas: Microbiology [non-medical PSG], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF]