Anaerobic bacteria often do not require oxygen, can survive extremes in temperature, and can withstand the presence of toxins and heavy metals. In addition, these organisms have very different metabolic processes from "conventional" microorganisms. This book explores the full range of these microorganisms.
Anaerobes in the Recyling of Elements in the Biosphere.- The Diversity of Energy Sources of Microorganisms.- Mechanism of Hydrogen Activation.- Reductive Activation of Aerobically Purified Desulfovibrio vulgaris Hydrogenase: Characterization of the Catalytic H Cluster.- Iron-Sulfur Cluster Biosynthesis.- Genes and Proteins Involved in Nickel Dependent Hydrogenase Expression.- Genes and Genetic Manipulations of Dusulfovibrio.- Function and Assembly of Electron Transport Complexes in Desulfovibrio vulgaris.- Iron-Sulfur Proteins in Anaerobic Eukaryotes.- Oxygen and Anaerobes.- One-Carbon Metabolism in Methanogenic Anaerobes.- Selenium-Dependent Enzymes from Clostridia.- How the Diverse Physiological Potentials of Acetogens Determine their in situ Realities.- Electron Transport System in Acetogens.- Microbial Inorganic Sulfur Oxidation: The APS Pathway.- Reduction of Metals and Non-essential Elements by Anaerobes.- Chemolithoautotrophic Thermophilic Iron (III)-Reducer.- Electron Flow in Ferrous Biocorrosion.
From the reviews: "This excellent and extremely comprehensive 'up-to-date' book points out both the immense importance of anaerobic microorganisms in the environment and their extreme diversity. ! This book will be of great interest to microbiologists with a special focus on investigations concerned with microbial physiology, energy generation in microorganisms, and metabolic potentials in environmental and industrial settings. ! An exciting book with a high scientific as well as practical and environmental impact ! . Congratulations to the authors as well as to the editors." (A.Schmidt, Chemotherapy, Vol. 5 (2), 2004)