Since the general recognition of the Archaebacteria, research into the evolution, metabolism, molecular biology and ecological roles of these fastidious anaerobes has proceeded at an ever-increasing pace. All possess a very novel biochemistry and many exploit unique ecological niches. Methanogens, which convert one-and-two carbon compounds into the important atmospheric gas methane, are the largest group among the Archaebacteria. Of all microbial groups, methanogens provide perhaps the best opportunity to study evolution because of their phyologenetic diversity and unique biochemistry. Today, the analysis of methanogens is at a threshold. Molecular-biological studies of these microorganisms are revealing more and more processes unique to this group, and in turn, studies of methanogens are providing new perspectives to the broader fields of biochemistry and molecular biology. This volume is the first book to be published on methanogenesis, and it will provide the reader with a comprehensive view of the field and point to future trends.

This short book attempts to give a reader who has a basic biochemical and microbiological background (one to two years at University level) an idea of the ecological, biochemical, physiological and biotechnological importance of methane, methanol and related compounds in the microbial world. Because the book covers several different scientific disciplines, readers may encounter unfamiliar terminology. The glossary at the end of the book defines the more obscure of these. The book has been written during a period of heavy teaching commit ments, and despite the helpful comments of many colleagues, it is likely that errors have crept in. As I have no co-author whom I can blame, I must accept sole responsibility for these! I wish to thank the many friends, students and colleagues who have read all or part of the manuscript: Charlie Bamforth, Rick Gibson, Jeff Green, Theo Hansen, Wim Harder, Geoff Haywood and, above all, Hans van Dijken.

The book covers the microbiological, environmental and biotechnological aspects of alkane production. Alkanes are important energy-rich compounds on earth. Microbial synthesis of methane and other alkanes is an essential part of the geochemical cycling of carbon and offers perspectives for our biobased economy. This book discusses different aspects of current knowledge of microbial alkane production. Chapters with state of the art information are written by renowned scientists in the field. The chapters are organised into four themed parts:1. Biochemistry of Biogenesis - Hydrocarbons2. Taxonomy, Ecophysiology and Genomics of Biogenesis - Hydrocarbons3. Biogenic Communities: Members, Functional Roles4. Global Consequences of Methane Production

Produced by microbes on a large scale, methane is an important alternative fuel as well as a potent greenhouse gas. This volume focuses on microbial methane metabolism, which is central to the global carbon cycle. Both methanotrophy and methanogenesis are covered in detail. Topics include isolation and classification of microorganisms, metagenomics approaches, biochemistry of key metabolic enzymes, gene regulation and genetic systems, and field measurements. The state of the art techniques described here will both guide researchers in specific pursuits and educate the wider scientific community about this exciting and rapidly developing field. Topics include isolation and classification of microorganisms, metagenomics approaches, biochemistry of key metabolic enzymes, gene regulation and genetic systems, and field measurements. The state of the art techniques described here will both guide researchers in specific pursuits and educate the wider scientific community about this exciting and rapidly developing field.

Bacterial Biogeochemistry, Second Edition focuses on bacterial metabolism and its relevance to the environment, including the decomposition of soil, food chains, nitrogen fixation, assimilation and reduction of carbon nitrogen and sulfur, and microbial symbiosis. The scope of the new edition has broadened to provide a historical perspective, and covers in greater depth topics such as bioenergetic processes, characteristics of microbial communities, spacial heterogeneity, transport mechanisms, microbial biofilms, extreme environments and evolution of biogeochemical cycles. Key Features * Provides up-to-date coverage with an enlarged scope, a new historical perspective, and coverage in greater depth of topics of special interest * Covers interactions between microbial processes, atmospheric composition and the earth's greenhouse properties * Completely rewritten to incorporate all the advances and discoveries of the last 20 years

Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas and is estimated to be responsible for approximately one-fifth of man-made global warming. Per kilogram, it is 25 times more powerful than carbon dioxide over a 100-year time horizon -- and global warming is likely to enhance methane release from a number of sources. Current natural and man-made sources include many where methane-producing micro-organisms can thrive in anaerobic conditions, particularly ruminant livestock, rice cultivation, landfill, wastewater, wetlands and marine sediments. This timely and authoritative book provides the only comprehensive and balanced overview of our current knowledge of sources of methane and how these might be controlled to limit future climate change. It describes how methane is derived from the anaerobic metabolism of micro-organisms, whether in wetlands or rice fields, manure, landfill or wastewater, or the digestive systems of cattle and other ruminant animals. It highlights how sources of methane might themselves be affected by climate change. It is shown how numerous point sources of methane have the potential to be more easily addressed than sources of carbon dioxide and therefore contribute significantly to climate change mitigation in the 21st century.

The Prokaryotes is a comprehensive, multi-authored, peer reviewed reference work on Bacteria and Achaea. This fourth edition of The Prokaryotes is organized to cover all taxonomic diversity, using the family level to delineate chapters. Different from other resources, this new Springer product includes not only taxonomy, but also prokaryotic biology and technology of taxa in a broad context. Technological aspects highlight the usefulness of prokaryotes in processes and products, including biocontrol agents and as genetics tools. The content of the expanded fourth edition is divided into two parts: Part 1 contains review chapters dealing with the most important general concepts in molecular, applied and general prokaryote biology; Part 2 describes the known properties of specific taxonomic groups. Two completely new sections have been added to Part 1: bacterial communities and human bacteriology. The bacterial communities section reflects the growing realization that studies on pure cultures of bacteria have led to an incomplete picture of the microbial world for two fundamental reasons: the vast majority of bacteria in soil, water and associated with biological tissues are currently not culturable, and that an understanding of microbial ecology requires knowledge on how different bacterial species interact with each other in their natural environment. The new section on human microbiology deals with bacteria associated with healthy humans and bacterial pathogenesis. Each of the major human diseases caused by bacteria is reviewed, from identifying the pathogens by classical clinical and non-culturing techniques to the biochemical mechanisms of the disease process. The 4th edition of The Prokaryotes is the most complete resource on the biology of prokaryotes. The following volumes are published consecutively within the 4th Edition: Prokaryotic Biology and Symbiotic Associations Prokaryotic Communities and Ecophysiology Prokaryotic Physiology and Biochemistry Applied Bacteriology and Biotechnology Human Microbiology Actinobacteria Firmicutes Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria Gammaproteobacteria Deltaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria Other Major Lineages of Bacteria and the Archaea