An extensive revision of an essential text for a foundational course in the Life Sciences. Each new print copy includes Navigate 2 Advantage Access that unlocks a comprehensive and interactive eBook, student practice activities and assessments, a full suite of instructor resources, and learning analytics reporting tools.
Like its predecessors, the Fourth Edition discusses the role of microbes in our daily lives, from food production to biotechnology, and provides extensive coverage of both the positive and negative roles microbes play. The text explores the function of microbes in ecological and environmental systems, as well as key current issues such as antibiotic resistance, the importance of vaccines, and emerging microbial diseases. Students will come away with a critical understanding of the broad impact microbes have on our society.
The Fourth Edition retains the user-friendly readability of previous editions while incorporating original features and material, including new information on viruses and microbial groups, new data on microbes in agriculture and the environment, current applications of genetic engineering and biotechnology, and fully updated coverage of microbes and the human microbiome. Discussions of the immune system, bacterial growth and metabolism, and viral and bacterial diseases have been revised for clarity and concept retention, and coverage of food microbiology, vaccines, and human health has been expanded.
Part I The Microbial World
Chapter 1 The Microbial World: Surprising and Awesome
Chapter 2 Microbes in Perspective: Of Collectors, Classifiers, and Microscopists
Chapter 3 Molecules of the Cell: The Building Blocks of Life
Chapter 4 The DNA Story: Chromosomes, Genes, and Genomics
Chapter 5 The Prokaryotic World: The Bacteria and Archaea Domains
Chapter 6 Viruses: At the Threshold of Life
Chapter 7 The Protists: A Microbial Grab Bag
Chapter 8 Fungi: Yeasts, Molds, and Mushrooms
Chapter 9 Growth and Metabolism: Running the Microbial Machine
Chapter 10 Microbial Genetics: From Genes to Genetic Engineering
Chapter 11 Controlling Microbes: From Outside and Within the Body
Part II Microbes and Human Affairs
Chapter 12 Microbes and Food: A Menu of Microbial Delights
Chapter 13 Food Preservation and Safety: The Competition
Chapter 14 Biotechnology and Industry: Microbes at Work
Chapter 15 Microbes and Agriculture: No Microbes, No Hamburgers
Chapter 16 Microbes and the Environment: No Microbes, No Life
Chapter 17 Disease and Resistance: The Wars Within
Chapter 18 Viral Diseases of Humans: AIDS to Zoster
Chapter 19 Bacterial Diseases of Humans: Slate-Wipers and Current Concerns
Jeffrey Pommerville has a Ph.D. in Cell and Organismal Biology from the University of California, Santa Barbara. After serving as a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the University of Georgia, he was an assistant professor of biology at Texas A&M University. For the past 14 years, he has been Professor of Biology at Glendale Community College where he teaches introductory biology and microbiology. He has 20 years of research experience in cell biology and microbiology and has authored over 35 peer-reviewed papers in national and international research journals. For the past three years, he was the principal investigator for Systemic Reform In Science (SyRIS), a project funded by the National Science Foundation that was designed to improve student outcomes in science through changes in curriculum and pedagogy that align with national systemic reform initiatives. In 2003, he was awarded the Gustav Ohaus Award (College Division) for Innovations in Science Teaching from the National Science Teachers Association. Over the past three years, he has presented numerous seminars and workshops to colleges, universities, business, medical, and service organizations on understanding and responding to bioterrorism.