Book description
The premiere two-volume reference on revelations from studying
complex microbial communities in many distinct habitats
Metagenomics is an emerging field that has changed the way
microbiologists study microorganisms. It involves the genomic analysis
of microorganisms by extraction and cloning of DNA from a group of
microorganisms, or the direct use of the purified DNA or RNA for
sequencing, which allows scientists to bypass the usual protocol of
isolating and culturing individual microbial species. This method is
now used in laboratories across the globe to study microorganism
diversity and for isolating novel medical and industrial compounds.
Handbook of Molecular Microbial Ecology is the first
comprehensive two-volume reference to cover unculturable
microorganisms in a large variety of habitats, which could not
previously have been analyzed without metagenomic methodology. It
features review articles as well as a large number of case studies,
based largely on original publications and written by international
experts. This second volume, Metagenomics in Different Habitats,
covers such topics as:
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Viral genomes
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Metagenomics studies in a variety of habitats, including marine
environments and lakes, soil, and human and animal digestive tracts
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Other habitats, including those involving microbiome diversity in
human saliva and functional intestinal metagenomics; diversity of
archaea in terrestrial hot springs; and microbial communities
living at the surface of building stones
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Biodegradation
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Biocatalysts and natural products
A special feature of this book is the highlighting of the databases
and computer programs used in each study; they are listed along with
their sites in order to facilitate the computer-assisted analysis of
the vast amount of data generated by metagenomic studies. Such studies
in a variety of habitats are described here, which present a large
number of different system-dependent approaches in greatly differing habitats.
Handbook of Molecular Microbial Ecology II is an invaluable
reference for researchers in metagenomics, microbial ecology,
microbiology, and environmental microbiology; those working on the
Human Microbiome Project; microbial geneticists; and professionals in
molecular microbiology and bioinformatics.
