The Ecology of Cyanobacteria: Their Diversity in Time and SpaceB.A. Whitton, Malcolm Potts Cyanobacteria make a major contribution to world photosynthesis and nitrogen fixation, but are also notorious for causing nuisances such as dense and often toxic `blooms' in lakes and the ocean. The Ecology of Cyanobacteria: Their Diversity in Time and Space is the first book to focus solely on ecological aspects of these organisms. Its twenty-two chapters are written by some thirty authors, who are leading experts in their particular subject. The book begins with an overview of the cyanobacteria - or blue-green algae, for those who are not specialists - then looks at their diversity in the geological record and goes on to describe their ecology in present environments where they play important roles. Why is one of the key groups of organisms in the Precambrian still one of the most important groups of phototrophs today? The importance of ecological information for rational management and exploitation of these organisms for commercial and other practical purposes is also assessed. Accounts are provided of nuisances as well as the ecology of the commercially successful Spirulina and the role of cyanobacteria in ecosystem recovery from oil pollution. Many chapters include aspects of physiology, biochemistry, geochemistry and molecular biology where these help general understanding of the subject. In addition there are three chapters dealing specifically with molecular ecology. Thirty-two pages of colour photos incorporate about seventy views and light micrographs. These features make the book valuable to a wide readership, including biologists, microbiologists, geologists, water managers and environmental consultants. The book complements the highly successful The Molecular Biology of Cyanobacteria already published by Kluwer. |
Contents
List of Authors | |
Introduction to the Cyanobacteria | 1 |
1335 | 13 |
Acknowledgements | 33 |
Lucas J Stal | 61 |
Summary | 62 |
Microbial Mats Stromatolites and their Environments | 63 |
Cyanobacteria that Build Microbial Mats | 71 |
Subaerial Habitats 241 | |
Practical Methods 247 | |
Limestones 257279 | |
The Organisms 264 | |
Colonization Succession and Weathering in Terrestrial | |
Oil Pollution and Cyanobacteria 307319 | |
Concluding Remarks 316 | |
Introduction 322 | |
Motility Chemo and Phototaxis of Cyanobacteria in Microbial Mats | 75 |
Carbon Metabolism | 78 |
Calcification in Mats and Stromatolites 90 | |
Nitrogen Metabolism and Nitrogen Fixation 95 | |
Cyanobacteria and the Sulfur Cycle in Microbial Mats 105 | |
Interactions of Cyanobacteria with Iron 108 | |
Phosphorus in Microbial Mats 110 | |
Conclusions 111 | |
Acknowledgements | |
Marine Plankton 121148 | |
Introduction 122 | |
Key Functional Groups of Marine Planktonic Cyanobacteria 123 | |
Physical Chemical and Biotic Considerations 128 | |
The Ecosystem Perspective 142 | |
Acknowledgements 144 | |
Freshwater Blooms 149194 | |
Introduction 150 | |
Distribution 151 | |
Gas Vacuoles Gas Vesicles Buoyancy and its Regulation 154 | |
Mixing Regimes and Cyanobacteria 159 | |
Physical Control of Cyanobacteria 167 | |
Cell Size Growth Rate and Temperature 169 | |
Light Capture 170 | |
Nutrients 174 | |
Phosphorus 175 | |
Nitrogen 176 | |
Responses of Cyanobacteria to N and P 178 | |
Inorganic Carbon 184 | |
Grazing 185 | |
Concluding Remarks 186 | |
Picoplankton and Other NonBloom Forming Cyanobacteria in Lakes 195231 | |
Conclusions 224 | |
Soils and RiceFields 233255 | |
Biodiversity and Endemism 330 | |
Acknowledgements 337 | |
Detecting the Environment 367395 | |
LightDark and Redox Sensing 376 | |
Alterations in Transcriptional Specificity 384 | |
Molecular Responses to Environmental Stress 397442 | |
Responses to Nutrient Limitation 408 | |
References 189 | |
Repetitive DNA 443463 | |
Repetitive DNA in Cyanobacteria 454 | |
Acknowledgements 460 | |
Summary 466 | |
Evolution 474 | |
Physiology and Growth 485 | |
Patents and Applications 494 | |
Systematics and Ecophysiology 505522 | |
Physiology of Arthrospira 514 | |
References 520 | |
The Symbionts 536 | |
HostCyanobiont Interactions PostInfection 546 | |
Reconstitution of the Symbioses 552 | |
Cyanophages and Their Role in the Ecology of Cyanobacteria 563589 | |
Distribution Abundance and Seasonal Dynamics 570 | |
Environmental and Physiological Effects on Cyanophages 580 | |
Cyanobacterial Responses to UVRadiation 591611 | |
Strategies of UVR Tolerance by Cyanobacteria 599 | |
Effects of UVR in Nature and Whole Community Responses 605 | |
Cyanotoxins 613632 | |
Types of Cyanobacterial Toxins 617 | |
Other editions - View all
The Ecology of Cyanobacteria: Their Diversity in Time and Space B.A. Whitton,M. Potts Limited preview - 2000 |
The Ecology of Cyanobacteria: Their Diversity in Time and Space B.A. Whitton,M. Potts Limited preview - 2007 |
Common terms and phrases
abundance algal amino acids Anabaena anaerobic anoxygenic Antarctic Aphanothece halophytica Appl Environ Microbiol bacteria biological biomass blue-green algae calcium Callieri carbon Castenholz cells CO₂ colonies communities CPcy crusts cyanobacteria cyanobacterial mats desert diazotrophic dominated Ecology ecosystems effects encoding endolithic eukaryotic eutrophic filamentous freshwater Friedmann Garcia-Pichel gene glucosylglycerol grazing growth rate habitats halophilic heterocystous heterocystous cyanobacteria heterotrophic hypersaline irradiance isolated Krumbein layer light intensity limestone Limnol Oceanogr marine metabolism microbial mats Microcoleus chthonoplastes microorganisms molecular motility N₂ fixation nitrogen fixation nitrogenase nitrogenase activity Nostoc Nostoc commune nutrient occur oligotrophic organisms Oscillatoria osmotic oxidation oxygenic photosynthesis Paerl Phormidium phosphate phosphorus photosynthesis phototrophic Phycol phytoplankton picoplankton planktonic polysaccharide populations production protein response rice salinity Schopf sediment sheath soil Solar Lake species Spirulina Stal Stockner strains stromatolites studies sulfide sulfur surface Synechococcus Synechococcus PCC Synechocystis temperature travertine Trichodesmium trichomes unicellular UV-B Walsby Whitton BA