This book provides an up-to-date overview of the microbiology, biogeochemistry, and ecology of marine hydrocarbon seeps, a globally occurring habitat for specialized microorganisms and invertebrates that depend on natural hydrocarbon seepage as a food and energy source. Prominent examples include the briny hydrocarbon seeps and mud volcanoes on the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mediterranean, the hydrothermally heated hydrocarbon seeps at Guaymas Basin (Mexico), and the oil and gas seeps off the coast of California and in the Gulf of Mexico. Featuring topical chapters by leading researchers in the area, the book describes geological settings, chemical characteristics of hydrocarbon seepage, hydrocarbon-dependent microbial populations, and ecosystem structure and trophic networks at hydrocarbon seeps. Further, it also discusses applied aspects such as bioremediation potential (oil-degrading microorganisms).

Deals with a current hot topic since marine hydrocarbon seeps are of high interest in relation to climate change, methane, and microbial hydrocarbon degradation Includes remarkable visuals: colorful microbial mats, majestic seafloor landscapes, and visually arresting chemistry Focuses on interactions between microbiology and chemistry at hydrocarbon seeps

Inhalt
Diversity and assembly of seep-associated microbial communities.- Anaerobic hydrocarbon-degrading sulfate-reducing bacteria at marine gas and oil seeps.- Guaymas Basin, a hydrothermal hydrocarbon seep ecosystem.- The Gulf of Mexico: An introductory survey of a seep-dominated seafloor landscape.- Benthic deep-sea life associated with asphaltic hydrocarbon emissions at Chapopote, southern Gulf of Mexico.- Archaea in Mediterranean Sea cold seep sediments and brine pools.- The microbial communities of the East Mediterranean Sea mud volcanoes and pockmarks.- Large sulfur-oxidizing bacteria at Gulf of Mexico hydrocarbon seeps.- Growth patterns of giant deep-sea Beggiatoaceae from a Guaymas Basin vent site.- Uncovering microbial hydrocarbon degradation processes: the promise of stable isotope probing.