Principles of Microbial Diversity (ASM Books) - Softcover

Brown, James W.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1555814425 ISBN 13: 9781555814427

Publisher: ASM Press, 2015

Synopsis

This brand new textbook will fill a currently empty niche in microbiology textbooks and provide a current, comprehensive view of microbial diversity. A microbial diversity course is considered one of the three core courses that every department should require of its majors, the other two being microbial genetics (Molecular Genetics of Bacteria, 4e) and pathogenesis (Bacterial Pathogenesis, 3e).

There are typically two ways to teach courses on microbial diversity. 1) Focus on metabolic diversity: which microbes are able to "eat" metals, which microbes tolerate extremely high or extremely low temperatures, etc. 2) Consider microbes systematically or phylogenetically, figuring out which group belongs with or next to this other group, what the line of descent might be between organism X and organism Y, etc.--a more evolutionary approach. Brown teaches from the second approach.

Intended for senior undergraduate students majoring in microbiology or a related field such as genetics or biology, graduate students either in other programs, or incoming graduate students with non-microbiology backgrounds.

• Includes a series of “Questions for Thought” at the end of each chapter.
• Offers a practical guide to molecular phylogenetic analysis, focusing on how to create and interpret phylogenetic trees, and an overview or survey of “the Tree of Life.”
• Focuses on the major phylogenetic groups of bacteria and archaea.
• Presents a discussion of various conceptual aspects of microbial complexity, from genomics and cell biology.

 

This title is published by the American Society of Microbiology Press and distributed by Taylor and Francis in rest of world territories.

About this title

About the Author

Principles of Microbial Diversity fills a currently empty niche in microbiology textbooks and provides a current and comprehensive view of microbial diversity.

From the Back Cover

Principles of Microbial Diversity

First Edition

Every speck of dust, drop of water, and grain of soil and each part of every plant and animal contain their own worlds of microbes.

Designed as a key text for upper-level undergraduates majoring in microbiology, genetics, or biology, Principles of Microbial Diversity provides a solid curriculum for students to explore the enormous range of biological diversity in the microbial world. Within these richly illustrated pages, author and professor James W. Brown provides a practical guide to microbial diversity from a phylogenetic perspective in which students learn to construct and interpret evolutionary trees from DNA sequences. He then offers a survey of the "tree of life" that establishes the necessary basic knowledge about the microbial world. Finally, the author draws the student's attention to the universe of microbial diversity with focused studies of the contributions that specific organisms make to the ecosystem.

Principles of Microbial Diversity fills an empty niche in microbiology textbooks by providing an engaging, cutting-edge view of the "microbial zoo" that exists around us, covering bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, and viruses.

From the Inside Flap

Principles of Microbial Diversity

First Edition

Every speck of dust, drop of water, and grain of soil and each part of every plant and animal contain their own worlds of microbes.

Designed as a key text for upper-level undergraduates majoring in microbiology, genetics, or biology, Principles of Microbial Diversity provides a solid curriculum for students to explore the enormous range of biological diversity in the microbial world. Within these richly illustrated pages, author and professor James W. Brown provides a practical guide to microbial diversity from a phylogenetic perspective in which students learn to construct and interpret evolutionary trees from DNA sequences. He then offers a survey of the "tree of life" that establishes the necessary basic knowledge about the microbial world. Finally, the author draws the student's attention to the universe of microbial diversity with focused studies of the contributions that specific organisms make to the ecosystem.

Principles of Microbial Diversity fills an empty niche in microbiology textbooks by providing an engaging, cutting-edge view of the "microbial zoo" that exists around us, covering bacteria, archaea, eukaryotes, and viruses.

Edition details

• Publisher: ASM Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1555814425
• ISBN 13: 9781555814427
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 416