This book discusses how aquatic microbial communities develop interactive metabolic coordination both within and between species to optimize their energetics. It explains that microbial community structuration often includes functional stratification among a multitude of organisms that variously exist either suspended in the water, lodged in sediments, or bound to one another as biofilms on solid surfaces. The authors describe techniques that can be used for preparing and distributing microbiologically safe drinking water, which presents the challenge of successfully removing the pathogenic members of the aquatic microbial community and then safely delivering that water to consumers. Drinking water distribution systems have their own microbial ecology, which we must both understand and control in order to maintain the safety of the water supply. Since studying aquatic microorganisms often entails identifying them, the book also discusses techniques for successfully isolating and cultivating bacteria. As such, it appeals to microbiologists, microbial ecologists and water quality scientists.

Autorentext
Christon J. Hurst Cincinnati, Ohio, USA 

and 

Universidad del Valle, Santiago de Cali, Valle, Colombia e-mail: christonjhurst@fuse.net

Inhalt

Chapter  1: Understanding Aquatic Microbial Communities

Author: Christon J. Hurst

Chapter  2: Relationship between lifestyle and structure of bacterial communities and their functionality in aquatic systems Authors: Luca Zoccarato and Hans Peter Grossart

Chapter  3: Biofilms: besieged cities or thriving ports?

Authors: Otini Kroukamp, Elanna Bester and Gideon M. Wolfaardt

Chapter  4: Complex structure but simple function in microbial mats from Antarctic Lakes

Authors: Ian Hawes, Dawn Sumner and Anne Jungblut

Chapter  5: Fungal decomposers in freshwater environments

Authors: Vladislav Gulis, Rong Su and Kevin A. Kuehn

Chapter  6: The Ecology of Methanogenic Archaea in a Nutrient Impacted Wetland

Authors: Andrew Ogram, Hee-Sung Bae, and Ashvini Chauhan

Chapter  7: Briefly Summarizing our Understanding of Vibrio cholerae and the Disease Cholera

Author: Christon J. Hurst

Chapter  8: Options for providing microbiologically safe drinking water

Author: Christon J. Hurst

Chapter  9: Microbiome of drinking water distribution systems

Authors: Laurence Mathieu, Tony Paris and Jean-Claude Block

Chapter 10: Isolation and Cultivation of Bacteria

Authors: Martin W. Hahn, Ulrike Koll and Johanna Schmidt