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The Prokaryotes is a comprehensive, multi-authored, peer-reviewed reference work on Bacteria and Achaea. This fourth edition of The Prokaryotes is organized to cover all taxonomic diversity, using the family level to delineate chapters.
Different from other resources, this new Springer product includes not only taxonomy, but also prokaryotic biology and technology of taxa in a broad context. Technological aspects highlight the usefulness of prokaryotes in processes and products, including biocontrol agents and as genetics tools.
The content of the expanded fourth edition is divided into two parts: Part 1 contains review chapters dealing with the most important general concepts in molecular, applied and general prokaryote biology; Part 2 describes the known properties of specific taxonomic groups.
Two completely new sections have been added to Part 1: bacterial communities and human bacteriology. The bacterial communities section reflects the growing realization that studies on pure cultures of bacteria have led to an incomplete picture of the microbial world for two fundamental reasons: the vast majority of bacteria in soil, water and associated with biological tissues are currently not culturable, and that an understanding of microbial ecology requires knowledge on how different bacterial species interact with each other in their natural environment. The new section on human microbiology deals with bacteria associated with healthy humans and bacterial pathogenesis. Each of the major human diseases caused by bacteria is reviewed, from identifying the pathogens by classical clinical and non-culturing techniques to the biochemical mechanisms of the disease process.
The 4th edition of The Prokaryotes is the most complete resource on the biology of prokaryotes.
Volume 1: Section Prokaryotic Biology
- Biological Resource Centres
- Biotechnology and Applied Microbiology
- Cell-Cell Interactions
- Comparative Genomics
- Databases-Metagenomics Databases-Taxonomy
- Defining Taxonomic Ranks
- Genome and Post-Genome Technology
- Genome Evolution
- How We Do, Don`t and Should Look at Bacteria and Bacteriology
- Morphological and Physiological Diversity
- Origin of Life: RNA World versus Autocatalytic Anabolism
- Population genetics
- Principles of Enrichment, Isolation, Cultivation, and Preservation of Prokaryotes
- Prokaryote Characterization and Identification
- Prokaryotes and Their Habitats
- What is a Prokaryote
Volume 1: Section Symbiotic Associations
- Bacteriocyte-Associated Endosymbionts of Insects
- Cyanobacterial-Plant Symbioses
- Marine Chemosynthetic Symbioses
- Rumen Symbioses
- Symbiotic Associations Between Ciliates and Prokaryotes
- Symbiotic Associations Between Termites and Prokaryotes
- Vibrio fisheri: Squid Symbiosis
Volume 1: Section Bacterial Communities
- Alpine and Arctic Soil Microbial Communities
- Anaerobic Methane-Oxidizing Microbial Communities
- Coral Reef Bacterial Communities
- Endolithic Microbial Communities
- Freshwater Microbial Communities
- Hydrothermal Vent Microbial Communities
- Marine Deep Sediment Microbial Communities
- Marine Planktonic Microbial Communities
- Quantitative and Theoretical Microbial Population Biology
- Pelagic Oxygen Minimum Zone Microbial Communities
- Plant Rhizosphere Microbial Communities
- Sea Ice Microbial Communities
- Soil Microbial Communities
- Sponge Microbial Communities
- Structure and Function of Microbial Communities
- Tropical Soil Microbial Communities
From the reviews of the second edition
"The present edition of The Prokaryotes appeared some three years after the publication of the last volume of the most recent edition of Bergey's Manual. [...] The many illustrations are well-chosen and uniformly excellent and the diagrams [...] are crisp, clear and well laid out. The well-known house style of Springer-Verlag has been used to excellent effect [...] . In the perspective of time the influence of the Prokaryotes will be seen as very substantial indeed. That is why its wide availability must be ensured."
- M. Sussman, Letters in Applied Microbiology, October 1992
"This four-volume second edition, appearing 11 years after the first, with a somewhat altered subtitle, is a monumental and highly successful undertaking by 276 contributors covering logically, comprehensively, and authoritatively most aspects of prokaryotic biology in 237 separately authored articles. [...] Most articles have photos and are richly referenced. Any microbiologist [...] can browse through the book (even in areas he or she knows well), learn something, and enjoy it."
- ASM News, Vol. 58, November, 1992
"The Prokaryotes, as its subtitle indicates, seeks to be a handbook on the biology of bacteria. [...] The organism-oriented approach to the subject led to a major discovery that had a great impact on the entire biology community. [...] All the chapters are written by leading experts in the field. The four volumes include a comprehensive index, which makes them easy to use. The printing quality is excellent."
- Volkmar Braun, American Scientist, Vol. 80, 1992
"This is a much improved edition of what already was an outstanding publication. The Prokaryotes is by far the most comprehensive treatise in microbiology available today. ! In summary, this is an impressive work of more than 200 specialists that should be of great interest to all microbiologists. A very thorough index with extensive cross reference facilities the finding of the topics of interest for the eventual reader."
- Jorge E. Galan, The Quarterly Review of Biology, Vol. 69, March 1994
