Author: A. Perez-Miravete
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 1468419625
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 315
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Book Description
Organisms are constantly being bombarded by stimuli in their envi ronment (and also by internal stimuli), and a common way of responding is by movement. This is an aspect of irritability, or excitability, or behaviour. Response to stimuli by movement is found in all organisms: it represents one of the universalities of biology. Yet at the molecular level it is one of the least understood of biological phenomena. Micro-organisms are no exception. If motile, they respond to stimuli by active movement (taxis); if sessile, they respond by growth movements (tropisms). Responses by movement are known among micro-organisms to such stimuli as chemicals, electric current, gravity, light, temperature, touch, and vibrations. The behaviour of micro-organisms is an exciting subject, first of all for its own sake, but in addition because it may reveal facts and concepts that are applicable to understanding behaviour in more complicated organisms (even us) and because it may, help to understand the movement of cells and tissues during differentiation and development of higher plants and animals.
Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309264324
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 633
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Book Description
Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.
Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309449839
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 318
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Book Description
People's desire to understand the environments in which they live is a natural one. People spend most of their time in spaces and structures designed, built, and managed by humans, and it is estimated that people in developed countries now spend 90 percent of their lives indoors. As people move from homes to workplaces, traveling in cars and on transit systems, microorganisms are continually with and around them. The human-associated microbes that are shed, along with the human behaviors that affect their transport and removal, make significant contributions to the diversity of the indoor microbiome. The characteristics of "healthy" indoor environments cannot yet be defined, nor do microbial, clinical, and building researchers yet understand how to modify features of indoor environmentsâ€"such as building ventilation systems and the chemistry of building materialsâ€"in ways that would have predictable impacts on microbial communities to promote health and prevent disease. The factors that affect the environments within buildings, the ways in which building characteristics influence the composition and function of indoor microbial communities, and the ways in which these microbial communities relate to human health and well-being are extraordinarily complex and can be explored only as a dynamic, interconnected ecosystem by engaging the fields of microbial biology and ecology, chemistry, building science, and human physiology. This report reviews what is known about the intersection of these disciplines, and how new tools may facilitate advances in understanding the ecosystem of built environments, indoor microbiomes, and effects on human health and well-being. It offers a research agenda to generate the information needed so that stakeholders with an interest in understanding the impacts of built environments will be able to make more informed decisions.
Author: Madeline Drexler
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages :
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Book Description
Author: David B. Dusenbery
Publisher: Times Books
ISBN: 9780716750604
Category : Microbiology.
Languages : en
Pages : 214
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Book Description
Our world is swarming with invisible organisms - bacteria and fungi that affect their hosts and environments in diverse ways. This text looks at the mysterious microscopic world of microbes and investigates how they behave, and why. It tells stories of how scientists have discovered the laws of behaviour of the world of microbes, including the principles of locomotion, navigation, survival, reproduction and communication. In addition, the text relates the behaviour of bacteria and other microbes to our more familiar world and shows their impact on our lives.
Author: Jean-Claude Bertrand
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 940179118X
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 933
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Book Description
This book is a treatise on microbial ecology that covers traditional and cutting-edge issues in the ecology of microbes in the biosphere. It emphasizes on study tools, microbial taxonomy and the fundamentals of microbial activities and interactions within their communities and environment as well as on the related food web dynamics and biogeochemical cycling. The work exceeds the traditional domain of microbial ecology by revisiting the evolution of cellular prokaryotes and eukaryotes and stressing the general principles of ecology. The overview of the topics, authored by more than 80 specialists, is one of the broadest in the field of environmental microbiology. The overview of the topics, authored by more than 80 specialists, is one of the broadest in the field of environmental microbiology.
Author: Thomas Alexander McMeekin
Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell
ISBN:
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368
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Book Description
Four authors with backgrounds in food microbiology, food chemistry, mathematics, and statistics, explain how techniques of predictive microbiology can allow an objective evaluation of the effects of processing, distribution, and storage on the microbiological safety and quality of foods. The trick is to understand the microbial ecology of a process or of a food at a particular point in the chain, then use mathematical relationships between microbial growth and the expected environmental conditions, to predict the growth or survival of selected organisms. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR
Author: A. Perez-Miravete
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 9781468419641
Category : Medical
Languages : en
Pages : 301
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Book Description
Organisms are constantly being bombarded by stimuli in their envi ronment (and also by internal stimuli), and a common way of responding is by movement. This is an aspect of irritability, or excitability, or behaviour. Response to stimuli by movement is found in all organisms: it represents one of the universalities of biology. Yet at the molecular level it is one of the least understood of biological phenomena. Micro-organisms are no exception. If motile, they respond to stimuli by active movement (taxis); if sessile, they respond by growth movements (tropisms). Responses by movement are known among micro-organisms to such stimuli as chemicals, electric current, gravity, light, temperature, touch, and vibrations. The behaviour of micro-organisms is an exciting subject, first of all for its own sake, but in addition because it may reveal facts and concepts that are applicable to understanding behaviour in more complicated organisms (even us) and because it may, help to understand the movement of cells and tissues during differentiation and development of higher plants and animals.
Author: Nicholas B. Davies
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1444314025
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 438
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Book Description
The third edition of this successful textbook looks again at the influence of natural selection on behavior - an animal's struggle to survive by exploiting resources, avoiding predators, and maximizing reproductive success. In this edition, new examples are introduced throughout, many illustrated with full color photographs. In addition, important new topics are added including the latest techniques of comparative analysis, the theory and application of DNA fingerprinting techniques, extensive new discussion on brood parasite/host coevolution, the latest ideas on sexual selection in relation to disease resistance, and a new section on the intentionality of communication. Written in the lucid style for which these two authors are renowned, the text is enhanced by boxed sections illustrating important concepts and new marginal notes that guide the reader through the text. This book will be essential reading for students taking courses in behavioral ecology. The leading introductory text from the two most prominent workers in the field. Second colour in the text. New section of four colour plates. Boxed sections to ilustrate difficult and important points. New larger format with marginal notes to guide the reader through the text. Selected further reading at the end of each chapter.
Author:
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780815332183
Category : Cells
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
