The Micro-ecology of Stream Biofilm Dynamics: Environmental Drivers, Successional Processes, and Forensic Applications

The Micro-ecology of Stream Biofilm Dynamics: Environmental Drivers, Successional Processes, and Forensic Applications PDF Author: Jennifer M. Lang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 205

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Book Description
Microbial activity has an essential role in ecosystem processes, and in stream ecosystems, biofilms are the base of the food web that is fueled by photosynthesis and they are integral to nutrient processing. Stream biofilms are microbial communities of algae, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa encased in an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) (molecules secreted by the microbes) that are attached to a substrate (e.g. rocks, leaves) in an aqueous environment. The substrate categorizes the biofilm, and organic matter like leaves and carrion such as salmon carcasses are important substrates for nutrient dynamics. In special instances, human remains may be deposited into streams and colonized by biofilms; therefore, assessing these biofilms can have direct application to the forensic sciences. Stream ecologists have extensively investigated how environmental factors influence algal community composition, while environmental microbiologists have focused on the role of bacterial communities in nutrient dynamics. My dissertation marries these two approaches by considering biofilm communities as a functioning ecosystem and uses ecological theory as a framework to understand the dynamics of this micro-ecosystem. This framework uses aspects from landscape ecology within a larger context of community ecology to explain how the development of biofilm communities is altered by environmental factors. In addition, this framework was used to investigate biofilm development on carrion (dead animal) in a forensic science context.

The Micro-ecology of Stream Biofilm Dynamics: Environmental Drivers, Successional Processes, and Forensic Applications

The Micro-ecology of Stream Biofilm Dynamics: Environmental Drivers, Successional Processes, and Forensic Applications PDF Author: Jennifer M. Lang
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 205

Get Book Here

Book Description
Microbial activity has an essential role in ecosystem processes, and in stream ecosystems, biofilms are the base of the food web that is fueled by photosynthesis and they are integral to nutrient processing. Stream biofilms are microbial communities of algae, bacteria, fungi, and protozoa encased in an extracellular polymeric substance (EPS) (molecules secreted by the microbes) that are attached to a substrate (e.g. rocks, leaves) in an aqueous environment. The substrate categorizes the biofilm, and organic matter like leaves and carrion such as salmon carcasses are important substrates for nutrient dynamics. In special instances, human remains may be deposited into streams and colonized by biofilms; therefore, assessing these biofilms can have direct application to the forensic sciences. Stream ecologists have extensively investigated how environmental factors influence algal community composition, while environmental microbiologists have focused on the role of bacterial communities in nutrient dynamics. My dissertation marries these two approaches by considering biofilm communities as a functioning ecosystem and uses ecological theory as a framework to understand the dynamics of this micro-ecosystem. This framework uses aspects from landscape ecology within a larger context of community ecology to explain how the development of biofilm communities is altered by environmental factors. In addition, this framework was used to investigate biofilm development on carrion (dead animal) in a forensic science context.

Freshwater Ecology

Freshwater Ecology PDF Author: Walter K. Dodds
Publisher: Academic Press
ISBN: 0080884776
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 840

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Book Description
Freshwater Ecology, Second Edition, is a broad, up-to-date treatment of everything from the basic chemical and physical properties of water to advanced unifying concepts of the community ecology and ecosystem relationships as found in continental waters.With 40% new and expanded coverage, this text covers applied and basic aspects of limnology, now with more emphasis on wetlands and reservoirs than in the previous edition. It features 80 new and updated figures, including a section of color plates, and 500 new and updated references. The authors take a synthetic approach to ecological problems, teaching students how to handle the challenges faced by contemporary aquatic scientists.This text is designed for undergraduate students taking courses in Freshwater Ecology and Limnology; and introductory graduate students taking courses in Freshwater Ecology and Limnology. - Expanded revision of Dodds' successful text. - New boxed sections provide more advanced material within the introductory, modular format of the first edition. - Basic scientific concepts and environmental applications featured throughout. - Added coverage of climate change, ecosystem function, hypertrophic habitats and secondary production. - Expanded coverage of physical limnology, groundwater and wetland habitats. - Expanded coverage of the toxic effects of pharmaceuticals and endocrine disrupters as freshwater pollutants - More on aquatic invertebrates, with more images and pictures of a broader range of organisms - Expanded coverage of the functional roles of filterer feeding, scraping, and shredding organisms, and a new section on omnivores. - Expanded appendix on standard statistical techniques. - Supporting website with figures and tables - http://www.elsevierdirect.com/companion.jsp?ISBN=9780123747242

Forensic Microbiology

Forensic Microbiology PDF Author: David O. Carter
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119062578
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 424

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Book Description
Forensic Microbiology focuses on newly emerging areas of microbiology relevant to medicolegal and criminal investigations: postmortem changes, establishing cause of death, estimating postmortem interval, and trace evidence analysis. Recent developments in sequencing technology allow researchers, and potentially practitioners, to examine microbial communities at unprecedented resolution and in multidisciplinary contexts. This detailed study of microbes facilitates the development of new forensic tools that use the structure and function of microbial communities as physical evidence. Chapters cover: Experiment design Data analysis Sample preservation The influence of microbes on results from autopsy, toxicology, and histology Decomposition ecology Trace evidence This diverse, rapidly evolving field of study has the potential to provide high quality microbial evidence which can be replicated across laboratories, providing spatial and temporal evidence which could be crucial in a broad range of investigative contexts. This book is intended as a resource for students, microbiologists, investigators, pathologists, and other forensic science professionals.

Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science

Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science PDF Author: Kathleen C. Weathers
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0128127627
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 358

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Book Description
Fundamentals of Ecosystem Science, Second Edition provides a comprehensive introduction to modern ecosystem science covering land, freshwater and marine ecosystems. Featuring full color images to support learning and written by a group of experts, this updated edition covers major concepts of ecosystem science, biogeochemistry, and energetics. Case studies of important environmental problems offer personal insights into how adopting an ecosystem approach has helped solve important intellectual and practical problems. For those choosing to use the book in a classroom environment, or who want to enrich further their reading experience, teaching and learning assets are available at Elsevier.com. Covers both aquatic (freshwater and marine) and terrestrial ecosystems with updated information Includes a new chapter on microbial biogeochemistry Features vignettes throughout the book with real examples of how an ecosystem approach has led to important change in policy, management, and ecological understanding Demonstrates the application of an ecosystem approach in synthesis chapters and case studies Contains new coverage of human-environment interactions

Marine Anthropogenic Litter

Marine Anthropogenic Litter PDF Author: Melanie Bergmann
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 3319165100
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 456

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Book Description
This book describes how man-made litter, primarily plastic, has spread into the remotest parts of the oceans and covers all aspects of this pollution problem from the impacts on wildlife and human health to socio-economic and political issues. Marine litter is a prime threat to marine wildlife, habitats and food webs worldwide. The book illustrates how advanced technologies from deep-sea research, microbiology and mathematic modelling as well as classic beach litter counts by volunteers contributed to the broad awareness of marine litter as a problem of global significance. The authors summarise more than five decades of marine litter research, which receives growing attention after the recent discovery of great oceanic garbage patches and the ubiquity of microscopic plastic particles in marine organisms and habitats. In 16 chapters, authors from all over the world have created a universal view on the diverse field of marine litter pollution, the biological impacts, dedicated research activities, and the various national and international legislative efforts to combat this environmental problem. They recommend future research directions necessary for a comprehensive understanding of this environmental issue and the development of efficient management strategies. This book addresses scientists, and it provides a solid knowledge base for policy makers, NGOs, and the broader public.

The Hyporheic Handbook

The Hyporheic Handbook PDF Author: Great Britain, Environment Agency Staff
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781849111317
Category : Groundwater
Languages : en
Pages : 33

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Book Description
This handbook brings together the latest research on a range of topics related to the groundwater-surface water interface and hyporheic zones specifically for environmental management practitioners.

Microbial Interventions in Agriculture and Environment

Microbial Interventions in Agriculture and Environment PDF Author: Dhananjaya Pratap Singh
Publisher: Springer Nature
ISBN: 981138391X
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 608

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Book Description
Microbial communities and their functions play a crucial role in the management of ecological, environmental and agricultural health on the Earth. Microorganisms are the key identified players for plant growth promotion, plant immunization, disease suppression, induced resistance and tolerance against stresses as the indicative parameters of improved crop productivity and sustainable soil health. Beneficial belowground microbial interactions with the rhizosphere help plants mitigate drought and salinity stresses and alleviate water stresses under the unfavorable environmental conditions in the native soils. Microorganisms that are inhabitants of such environmental conditions have potential solutions for them. There are potential microbial communities that can degrade xenobiotic compounds, pesticides and toxic industrial chemicals and help remediate even heavy metals, and thus they find enormous applications in environmental remediation. Microbes have developed intrinsic metabolic capabilities with specific metabolic networks while inhabiting under specific conditions for many generations and, so play a crucial role. The book Microbial Interventions in Agriculture and Environment is an effort to compile and present a great volume of authentic, high-quality, socially-viable, practical and implementable research and technological work on microbial implications. The whole content of the volume covers protocols, methodologies, applications, interactions, role and impact of research and development aspects on microbial interventions and technological outcomes in prospects of agricultural and environmental domain including crop production, plan-soil health management, food & nutrition, nutrient recycling, land reclamation, clean water systems and agro-waste management, biodegradation & bioremediation, biomass to bioenergy, sanitation and rural livelihood security. The covered topics and sub-topics of the microbial domain have high implications for the targeted and wide readership of researchers, students, faculty and scientists working on these areas along with the agri-activists, policymakers, environmentalists, advisors etc. in the Government, industries and non-government level for reference and knowledge generation.

Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions

Groundwater-Surface Water Interactions PDF Author: Habil. Jörg Lewandowski
Publisher: MDPI
ISBN: 3039289055
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 438

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Book Description
Recent years have seen a paradigm shift in our understanding of groundwater–surface water interactions: surface water and aquifers were long considered discrete, separate entities; they are now understood as integral components of a surface–subsurface continuum. This book provides an overview of current research advances and innovative approaches in groundwater–surface water interactions. The 20 research articles and 1 communication cover a wide range of thematic scopes, scales, and experimental and modelling methods across different disciplines (hydrology, aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry, and environmental pollution). The book identifies current knowledge gaps and reveals the challenges in establishing standardized measurement, observation, and assessment approaches. It includes current hot topcis with environmental and societal relevance such as eutrophication, retention of legacy, and emerging pollutants (e.g., pharmaceuticals and microplastics), urban water interfaces, and climate change impacts. The book demonstrates the relevance of processes at groundwater–surface water interfaces for (1) regional water balances and (2) quality and quantity of drinking water resources. As such, this book represents the long-awaited transfer of the above-mentioned paradigm shift in understanding of groundwater–surface water interactions from science to practice.

Molecular Tools for the Detection and Quantification of Toxigenic Cyanobacteria

Molecular Tools for the Detection and Quantification of Toxigenic Cyanobacteria PDF Author: Rainer Kurmayer
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1119332109
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 446

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Book Description
A guide to state-of-the-art molecular tools for monitoring and managing the toxigenicity of cyanobacteria Runaway eutrophication and climate change has made the monitoring and management of toxigenic organisms in the world’s bodies of water more urgent than ever. In order to influence public policy regarding the detection and quantification of those organisms, it is incumbent upon scientists to raise the awareness of policy makers concerning the increased occurrence of toxigenic cyanobacteria and the threats they pose. As molecular methods can handle many samples in short time and help identify toxigenic organisms, they are reliable, cost-effective tools available for tracking toxigenic cyanobacteria worldwide. This volume arms scientists with the tools they need to track toxigenicity in surface waters and food supplies and, hopefully, to develop new techniques for managing the spread of toxic cyanobacteria. This handbook offers the first comprehensive treatment of molecular tools for monitoring toxigenic cyanobacteria. Growing out of the findings of the landmark European Cooperation in Science and Technology Cyanobacteria project (CYANOCOST), it provides detailed, practical coverage of the full array of available molecular tools and protocols, from water sampling, nucleic acid extraction, and downstream analysis—including PCR and qPCR based methods—to genotyping (DGGE), diagnostic microarrays, and community characterization using next-gen sequencing techniques. Offers an overview of the latest trends in the field, while providing a foundation for understanding and applying the tools and techniques described Provides detailed coverage of the full range of molecular tools currently available, with expert guidance on the analysis and interpretation of results Includes step-by-step guidance on standard operational procedures, including molecular tests used in environmental monitoring, with individual chapters devoted to each procedure Complements the published Handbook of Cyanobacterial Monitoring and Cyanotoxin Analysis from the CyanoCOST project This handbook is an indispensable working resource for scientists, lab technicians, and water management professionals and an excellent text/reference for graduate students and supervisors who use molecular tools. It will also be of great value to environmental health and protection officials and policy makers.

The Science and Applications of Microbial Genomics

The Science and Applications of Microbial Genomics PDF Author: Institute of Medicine
Publisher: National Academies Press
ISBN: 0309268192
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
Over the past several decades, new scientific tools and approaches for detecting microbial species have dramatically enhanced our appreciation of the diversity and abundance of the microbiota and its dynamic interactions with the environments within which these microorganisms reside. The first bacterial genome was sequenced in 1995 and took more than 13 months of work to complete. Today, a microorganism's entire genome can be sequenced in a few days. Much as our view of the cosmos was forever altered in the 17th century with the invention of the telescope, these genomic technologies, and the observations derived from them, have fundamentally transformed our appreciation of the microbial world around us. On June 12 and 13, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats convened a public workshop in Washington, DC, to discuss the scientific tools and approaches being used for detecting and characterizing microbial species, and the roles of microbial genomics and metagenomics to better understand the culturable and unculturable microbial world around us. Through invited presentations and discussions, participants examined the use of microbial genomics to explore the diversity, evolution, and adaptation of microorganisms in a wide variety of environments; the molecular mechanisms of disease emergence and epidemiology; and the ways that genomic technologies are being applied to disease outbreak trace back and microbial surveillance. Points that were emphasized by many participants included the need to develop robust standardized sampling protocols, the importance of having the appropriate metadata, data analysis and data management challenges, and information sharing in real time. The Science and Applications of Microbial Genomics summarizes this workshop.