The book emphasizes role of functional microbes in soil to improve fertility and plant health in agro-ecosystem. In this compendium main emphasis is on occurrence and distribution of microbial communities, In situ active microbial quorum in rhizosphere, metratranscriptomics for microflora- and fauna, and fnctional diversity in rhizosphere. The book also highlights the importance of PGPRs in rhizosphere, root endotrophic microbes, functional niche under biotic stress, functional niche under abiotic stress, functional root derived signals, as well as functional microbe derived signals. Approaches deployed in metatranscriptomics, and molecular Tools used in rhizosphere are also discussed in detail. The book presents content is useful for students, academicians, researchers working on soil rhizosphere and as a policy document on sustenance of agriculture.

This new volume of Methods in Enzymology continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field. This volume covers microbial metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics, and includes chapters on such topics as in-solution FISH for single cell genome preparation, preparation of BAC libraries from marine microbial community DNA, and preparation of microbial community cDNA for metatranscriptomic analysis in marine plankton. - Continues the legacy of this premier serial with quality chapters authored by leaders in the field - Covers microbial metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, and metaproteomics - Contains chapters on such topics as in-solution fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) for single cell genome preparation, preparation of BAC libraries from marine microbial community DNA, and preparation of microbial community cDNA for metatranscriptomic analysis in marine plankton

This book explores the significance of soil microbial diversity to understand its utility in soil functions, ecosystem services, environmental sustainability, and achieving the sustainable development goals. With a focus on agriculture and environment, the book highlights the importance of the microbial world by providing state-of-the-art technologies for examining the structural and functional attributes of soil microbial diversity for applications in healthcare, industrial biotechnology, and bioremediation studies. In seven chapters, the book will act as a primer for students, environmental biotechnologists, microbial ecologists, plant scientists, and agricultural microbiologists. Chapter 1 introduces readers to the soil microbiome, and chapter 2 discusses the below ground microbial world. Chapter 3 addresses various methods for exploring microbial diversity, chapter 4 discusses the genomics methods, chapter 5 provides the metaproteomics and metatranscriptomics approaches and chapter 6 details the bioinformatics tools for soil microbial community analysis, and chapter 7 concludes the text with future perspectives on further soil microbial uses and applications.

Metagenomic research has paved the way for a comprehensive understanding of the microbial gene parts list in nature, but a full understanding of microbial gene expression, regulation, and ecology remains a challenge. In this thesis, I present the methodological foundations and applications of deep sequencing-based metatranscriptomics, for profiling community transcriptomes on spatial and temporal scales. Several findings and relevant hypotheses have emerged from this work. I show that transcripts of house-keeping genes necessary for the maintenance of basic cellular machinery are abundant and readily detectable. Habitat-specific transcripts are also discernible when comparing community transcriptomes along distinct geochemical conditions. Normalization of detected transcripts to their corresponding gene abundance suggests that numerically less abundant microorganisms may nevertheless contribute actively to ecologically relevant processes. Along the same lines, it is a recurrent observation that many transcripts are of unknown function or phylogenetic origin, and have not been detected in genomic/metagenomic data sets. These novel sequences may be derived from less abundant species or variable genomic regions that are not represented in sequenced genomes. Furthermore, I applied metatranscriptomics in a microcosm experiment, where a deep water mixing event was simulated and community transcriptomes were monitored over the course of 27 hours. Relative to the control, the treatment sample showed signals of stimulated photosynthesis and carbon fixation by phytoplankton cells, enhanced chemotactic, motility, and growth responses of heterotrophic bacteria, as well as possibly altered phage-host interactions. Such experimental metatranscriptomic studies are well suited to reveal how microorganisms respond during the early stages of environmental perturbations. Finally, I show that metatranscriptomic data sets contain a wealth of highly expressed small RNAs (sRNAs), transcripts that are not translated to proteins but instead function as regulators. I propose a bioinformatics pipeline for identifying these sRNA elements, characterizing their structures and genomic contexts, and predicting possible regulatory targets. The extraordinary abundance of some of the identified sRNAs raises questions about their ecological function, which warrants further biochemical and genetic studies. Overall, this work has extended our knowledge of functional potentials and in situ gene expression of natural microbial communities.

This book presents strategies and techniques highlighting the sustainability and application of microbial and agricultural biotechnologies to ensure food production and security. This book includes different aspects of applications of Artificial Intelligence in agricultural systems, genetic engineering, human health and climate change, recombinant DNA technology, metabolic engineering and so forth. Post-harvest extension of food commodities, environmental detoxification, proteomics, metabolomics, genomics, bioinformatics and metagenomic analysis are discussed as well. Features: Reviews technological advances in microbial biotechnology for sustainable agriculture using Artificial Intelligence and molecular biology approach. Provides information on the fusion between microbial biotechnology and agriculture. Specifies the influence of climate changes on livestock, agriculture and environment. Discusses sustainable agriculture for food security and poverty alleviation. Explores current biotechnology advances in food and agriculture sectors for sustainable crop production. This book is aimed at researchers and graduate students in agriculture, food engineering, metabolic engineering and bioengineering.

Wetlands are among the world’s most productive environments with countless species of plants and animals, as well as humans, dependent upon them for survival. Moreover, they provide many societal benefits including water quality improvement, flood storage, shoreline erosion control, and opportunities for recreation, education, and research. The conservation of inland wetlands is thus critical, and it is vital that they are protected in situ. The Handbook of Research on Monitoring and Evaluating the Ecological Health of Wetlands highlights the challenges of wetland conservation and current scenarios of existing wetlands and their effective management. The book also promotes the inventory, assessment, and monitoring of wetlands through a discussion of practical approaches, methodologies, and techniques. The strategies covered in this book can be applied in situ, depending on the wetland in which they will be applied. It covers the most cost-effective techniques in conservation of wetland technologies and the most cutting-edge research on monitoring of wetland health and its applications. Covering topics such as forest soil, greenhouse gasses, and ecological rejuvenation, it is an ideal resource for conservators, environmentalists, executives, policymakers, government officials, professionals, researchers, academicians, and students working in ecological management and wetland conservation fields.

There have been several advancements made in high-throughput protein technologies creating immense possibilities for studying proteomics on a large scale. Researchers are exploring various proteomic techniques to unravel the mystery of plant stress tolerance mechanisms. Plant Proteomics: Implications in Growth, Quality Improvement, and Stress Resilience introduces readers to techniques and methodologies of proteomics and explains different physiological phenomena in plants and their responses to various environmental cues and defense mechanisms against pathogens. The main emphasis is on research involving applications of proteomics to understand different aspects of the life cycle of plant species including dormancy, flowering, photosynthetic efficiency, nitrogen assimilation, accumulation of nutritional parameters, secondary metabolite production, reproduction and grain yield as well as signalling responses during abiotic and biotic stresses. The book takes a unique approach, encompassing high throughput and sophisticated proteomic techniques while integrating proteomics with other “omics.” Features: Integrates the branch of proteomics with other “omics” approaches including genomics and metabolomics, giving a holistic view of the overall “omics” approaches. Covers various proteomics approaches for the identification of biological processes, future perspectives, and upcoming applications to identify diverse genes in plants. Presents readers with various proteomics tools for the improvement of plant growth, quality, and resilience against climate change, and pathogen infection. Enables researchers in identifying novel proteins that could be used as target to generate plants with improved traits. Prof. Aryadeep Roychoudhury is currently working as Professor in the Discipline of Life Sciences, Indira Gandhi National Open University, New Delhi, India. Earlier, he served as Assistant Professor at the Post Graduate Department of Biotechnology, St. Xavier’s College (Autonomous), Kolkata, West Bengal, India. He received his B.Sc. (Hons.) in Botany from Presidency College, Kolkata, and M.Sc. in Biophysics and Molecular Biology, University of Calcutta, West Bengal, India. He earned his Ph.D. from Jadavpur University, Kolkata in the area of stress biology in plants. Following his Ph.D. work, he joined as Research Associate (Post doctorate) at the University of Calcutta, pursuing translational research on transgenic rice. He is presently involved in active research in the field of abiotic stress responses in plants with perspectives to the physiology, molecular biology and cell signaling under diverse stress conditions. He has 23 years of research experience in the concerned discipline. Prof. Roychoudhury has handled several government-funded projects as principal investigator and supervised five Ph.D. students as principal investigator. He has published over 250 articles in peer-reviewed journals and chapters in books of international and national repute. He has edited many books with Wiley, Elsevier, and Springer, and has also handled Special Issues as Guest Editor for several renowned international journals. He is a regular reviewer of articles in high-impact, international journals, Life Member of different scientific associations and societies, and the recipient of the Young Scientist Award 2019, conferred upon him by International Foundation for Environment and Ecology, at University of Allahabad, Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. His name is included in the Stanford University’s List of World’s Top 2% Influential Scientists.