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Microbiology of Extreme Soils

  • Book
  • © 2008

Overview

Editors:
  1. Patrice Dion

    1. Département de phytologie, Pavillon Charles-Eugène Marchand, Québec (Québec), Canada

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  2. Chandra Shekhar Nautiyal

    1. National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India

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    You can also search for this editor in PubMed   Google Scholar

  • Includes chapters on basic research in addition to applications in biotechnology and bioremediation
  • Includes supplementary material: sn.pub/extras

Part of the book series: Soil Biology (SOILBIOL, volume 13)

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Table of contents (16 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xvii
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  2. Principles of Extreme Soil Microbiology

    1. The Microbiological Promises of Extreme Soils

      • Patrice Dion
      Pages 3-13

    2. Microbial Diversity, Life Strategies, and Adaptation to Life in Extreme Soils

      • Vigdis Torsvik, Lise Øvreås
      Pages 15-43

    3. Extreme Views on Prokaryote Evolution

      • Patrice Dion
      Pages 45-70

    4. Biodiversity: Extracting Lessons from Extreme Soils

      • Diana H. Wall
      Pages 71-84

  3. Natural Extreme Soils

    1. Halophilic and Halotolerant Micro-Organisms from Soils

      • Antonio Ventosa, Encarnacion Mellado, Cristina Sanchez-Porro, M. Carmen Marquez
      Pages 87-115

    2. Atacama Desert Soil Microbiology

      • Benito Gómez-Silva, Fred A. Rainey, Kimberley A. Warren-Rhodes, Christopher P. McKay, Rafael Navarro-González
      Pages 117-132

    3. Microbial Communities and Processes in Arctic Permafrost Environments

      • Dirk Wagner
      Pages 133-154

    4. Aerobic, Endospore-Forming Bacteria from Antarctic Geothermal Soils

      • Niall A. Logan A. Logan, Raymond N. Allan N. Allan
      Pages 155-175

    5. Peatland Microbiology

      • Shwet Kamal, Ajit Varma
      Pages 177-203

    6. Subsurface Geomicrobiology of the Iberian Pyritic Belt

      • Ricardo Amils, David Fernández-Remolar, Felipe Gómez, Elena González-Toril, Nuria Rodríguez, Carlos Briones et al.
      Pages 205-223

    7. The Potential for Extant Life in the Soils of Mars

      • Ronald L. Crawford, David A. Newcombe
      Pages 225-243

  4. Anthropogenic Extreme Soils

    1. Bacteriology of Extremely Cold Soils Exposed to Hydrocarbon Pollution

      • Lucas A. M. Ruberto, Susana C. Vazquez, Walter P. Mac Cormack
      Pages 247-274

    2. Microbiology of Oil-Contaminated Desert Soils and Coastal Areas in the Arabian Gulf Region

      • Samir Radwan
      Pages 275-298

    3. Microbial Communities in Fire-Affected Soils

      • Christopher Janzen, Tammy Tobin-Janzen
      Pages 299-316

    4. Endophytes and Rhizosphere Bacteria of Plants Growing in Heavy Metal-Containing Soils

      • Angela Sessitsch, Markus Puschenreiter
      Pages 317-332

    5. Interactions of Fungi and Radionuclides in Soil

      • John Dighton, Tatyana Tugay, Nelli Zhdanova
      Pages 333-355

  5. Back Matter

    Pages 357-369
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Keywords

About this book

My auxiliaries are the dews and rains which water this dry soil, and what fertility is in the soil itself, which for the most part is lean and effete. – Henry David Thoreau, Walden Pond The concerns that Thoreau had about his beans were nothing to those that would face a similarly conscientious gardener in the Atacama Desert or on the planet Mars, where dews are rare, or frozen, and rains are extremely rare – or absent al- gether. Yet we live in a time when an appreciation of the differences and simila- ties among soils (or regolith: no organics detected on Mars, as yet!) can provide a perspective on life at its most fundamental level: that of microbiology. Microbes are the Earth’s finest chemists, and most prodigious chemical engineers. Beyond pure chemistry, they know tricks with electrons that would make any Silicon Valley chip designer blush with pride. And yet their size and association with human food (good) and diseases (bad) has for more than a century obscured their essential place in making the Earth a habitable planet for humans. One of the most interesting facets of this book is that we are shown those chemists at work in one of their most important habitats. Soils comprise both a pervasive environment on our planet and one of the most important (even most fruitful!) of habitats with respect to human survival.

Reviews

From the reviews:

"The chapters have been presented clearly, so as to trigger curiosity and stimulate the imagination. It is hoped that the reader will find the volume to fulfill their expectations in regard to a topic as thrilling as microbiology of extreme soils. … one will therefore find much to admire in this impressive work of erudition and collaborative scholarship and dedicated research. … a tremendously readable and engaging book, eminently suitable for researchers and advanced students in microbiology, soil biology, environmental protection and biotechnology and bioremediation." (Current Engineering Practice, 2008)

Editors and Affiliations

  • Département de phytologie, Pavillon Charles-Eugène Marchand, Québec (Québec), Canada

    Patrice Dion

  • National Botanical Research Institute, Lucknow, India

    Chandra Shekhar Nautiyal

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