Microbial Ecology Review
583132
/*
*/

5 ***** Brilliant for advanced students. Proberbly not so good for dummies.

/*
*/
3650664
I love this book, an excellently illustrated presentation for a neophyte learning college level information about the human body & system. Because of this book, I purchased Microbiology Coloring Book, too. Good price, clean, no coloring .
4733435
This product was exactly as described and arrived shortly after I order it.<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/Biology-of-Microorganisms/dp/0130421693/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">Biology of Microorganisms</a>
4206724
I heard Jack Gilbert speak at a public lecture at Argonne National Laboratory. He was one of three scientists discussing Science and the Future of Food. All three speakers were knowledgeable, but Dr Gilbert spoke plainly about his microbiology topic. His presentation was easy the follow and entertaining.
The writing in his book is presented in a similar, conversational manner. It is easy to read and comprehend.

The message is basically this: Our bodies contain thousands of microbiological organisms (call them germs if you like). Most are "friendly" and essential to normal bodily processes. If we try to shun all microbes (like bacteria and viruses), we will be unsuccessful, and thankfully so.
4818814
I really think this is a great book. I am a medical doctor who wants to finish her specialisation in virology, microbiology and environmental hygiene. This book really covers the practical techniques to identify different microorganisms. You finally understand which steps are taken, the flow-charts are excellent. I have not found a similar book in the German literature.
3416255
This book can be judged by its cover!
This book is not frivolous with content. It does a reasonable job of presenting content that is relevant. It should be stated that it is weighted toward "Soil Taxonomy" (the US soil classification system). Learners and instructors of other systems may have need(s) to augment the text with the particulars of another classification systems details, if comparison and contrasts are warranted, or if another classification system is the primary focus.
For my uses, this text is the best that can be purchased as a supporting text used in an advanced soil course that has a signifiant amount of genesis and classification learning objectives.
300980
This book is a very good book about the evolution controversies.  It repeats a lot of information from basic ecology classes.  It is for a person who has a firm understanding of basic biology.  It is the first book  I have read that portrays the different types of evolution.  The only time  that it speaks about creationism is the last 2 chapters.  These last two  chapters can be understood by non-biologists, however.  It is a good read  for the devout biologist, though it is now quite old and out of print.
2171257
Shipping was pretty quick. Most importantly to me was the book was in good condition when it arrived. The book itself is on the science side of water and it might go over a few peoples heads or one may just lose interest if not read until the end. I did enjoy the book and use it for reference after reading through it.
745752
Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest, Second Edition
Bruce McCune and Linda Geiser
2009; ISBN 978-0-87071-565-5 (Paperback)
Oregon State University Press
http://oregonstate.edu/dept/press
1-800-426-3797
Originally $30.00, as of May 2014 $30.00 new from the publisher; most online prices for used copies appear to be for the first edition.

As its title indicates, Macrolichens of the Pacific Northwest is a color field guide to the foliose (leafy) and fruticose (shrubby) lichens (taken together, the macrolichens) of Oregon and Washington; it does not deal with the much less well known, and hence more difficult, crustose lichens (microlichens). Given the similarity of habitats in the surrounding states and provinces, the book will certainly be quite useful in northern California, Idaho, western Montana, southeast Alaska, British Columbia, and beyond.
The introductory section explains what lichens are, why they are important, and how they work, then describes the various growth forms, morphological features, and reproductive strategies; how to collect and identify lichens; and the use of lichens in assessing air quality. The main part of the book starts with a set of keys to the 113 genera included in the guide (up from 92 in the first [1997/2000] edition, largely a result of taxonomic revisions, but also to discoveries of new lichens such as Acroscyphus and Moelleropsis). Descriptions of genera follow alphabetically, along with keys to species and the species accounts (arranged alphabetically within each genus). Most species are treated in one page, which includes a brief description of important morphological and chemical features, an indication of air pollution sensitivity, the geographic range, substrate, habitat, additional notes, and an excellent quality color photograph and/or line drawing. In a number of cases, small accessory photos have been added, showing details of morphology or spores.
All 586 (up from 458) species of macrolichens reported or thought to occur in Oregon and Washington are keyed, and 246 of them (up from 210) are described and illustrated, focusing on those that occur in forests, are regionally common, or are of special concern because of their rarity. The keys are clear, easy to understand, and work. The species accounts could be improved by including more extensive comparisons with similar species. Following the species accounts, an appendix provides additional detail about nomenclature. There is also an extensive reference list and a nicely illustrated glossary.
Overall, there still is little not to like about this attractive, authoritative, and very usable field guide. All lichenoholics will want a copy and anyone who lives in the western US and has even a passing interest in lichens should consider it as well.

(This is a revised version of the review that appeared in FUNGI, Vol. 2(3), Summer 2009.)

Steve Trudell
1584781
This book provides an excellent synopsis of the major topics in theoretical ecology. After making a strong case for the value of theory in ecology, the text reviews many of the classical and contemporary models used to examine single-species dynamics, metapopulations, predator-prey interactions, population dynamics (esp. plants), species compositions, the relationships between diversity and stability and community-level patterns. The text then devotes several chapters to the human dimensions of ecology, discussing topics such as food production, fisheries, conservation and climate change. The authors of these later chapters discuss ways in which the models presented in the first section can be used to address some of these conservation issues. May then concludes the volume with a brief synopsis and a series of interesting philosophical questions. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and would recommend it highly to anyone in ecology.
3475028
This book is the great resource for students in ecological courses or researches. It provide most of theories and examples used in several levels of ecological levels. This book could be able the good reference for our shelf.
2709381
I bought this text for a Biosecurity and Microbial Forensics course. I was concerned that it would be difficult to understand because I've never taken a microbial forensics course before. However, the book was easy to read and explained everything very well.
1623489
This is a very good book on vernal pools ecology.  I have studied vernal pools in the university a few years ago and it's a shame that this book wasn't there at that time.
The author describes different aspects of vernal pools: their origin, hydrology, the inhabitants, vernal pools conservation and many more.
The book is well written in a language easy to understand for everybody.  If you have not study at the university, don't worry because it is very easy to understand.
A five-stars.
Stephan
Longueuil, Qu&eacute;bec, Canada
4158009
Was purchased by my school for a research project in microbiology lab. Results came back within a week of mailing it out. Thank you!
1134107
Many people today are aware of the disturbing (but predictable) evolution of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics and some also recognize that the twin causes of this problem are over-prescription of antibiotics in humans and the use of low levels of antibiotics for accelerating the growth of livestock.  This extremely lucid and important book by Martin Blaser discusses these issues authoritatively and in depth.  However, even more importantly, it introduces another arena in which antibiotics are having serious negative impacts on human health, an arena that I was not previously aware of:  The potentially harmful restructuring of the human microbiome.

The microbiome is the collection of microorganisms (mainly bacteria) that live on and within our bodies.  Their numbers are staggering:  About ten times as many as there are human cells in our bodies.  According to Dr. Blaser, the relationship of the microbiome to our bodies is largely symbiotic; the microbes assist us in digesting foods that we otherwise could not process and they help to protect us against hostile microbial invaders.  In other cases, they are merely passive inhabitants.  The microbiome is made up of many species, for example, there are about 1,000 species of bacteria in the human gut.  Dr. Blaser claims, based on laboratory work with mice and supported by clinical studies on humans, that the repeated use of antibiotics, particularly in the first few years of life, can selectively kill some bacteria and so result in significant changes in the microbial composition resident in our bodies.

The potential range of effects resulting from the altered composition of our microbiomes is extraordinary.  Dr. Blaser presents the results of studies that show that the following list of human health problems may be caused, at least in part, by antibiotic effects on the microbiome:  Obesity, diabetes, autism, Crohns disease, asthma, celiac disease, and numerous other auto-immune diseases.  He also shows evidence for a critical vulnerability to repeated antibiotic treatments that exists early in life.  He even suggests that the transfer of resident microbes from mother to child in the birth canal is a vital process, one that is lost in C-section deliveries.

Antibiotics are an essential part of medical treatment and have been responsible for an enormous improvement in human health over the past 70 years so the solution to the problem of overuse is not a simple one.  Indeed, how do we set a criterion for overuse?  At present, we are hampered by our limited understanding of the detailed mechanisms through which the members of the microbiome operate and which parts of it are our friends and which parts may be hostile  perhaps the same species can play both roles.  Consequently, I do not think that we should interpret Dr. Blasers book as a detailed prescription for action but it is, I believe, of enormous importance in establishing the vital role of the microbiome and in urging us to be much more guarded in our use of antibiotics.  Dr. Blaser sums it up in the last pages of the book:  The logic is inescapable.  Out ancient microbes are there for a reason; thats how we evolved.  Everything that changes them has a potential cost to us.  We have changed them plenty.  The costs are already here, but we are only just beginning to recognize them.  They will escalate.

This book is an eye-opener!
4740782
This book is a very good introduction to the use of microbe based natural pest control. It talks about both the science and the technology as well as commercialization aspects.
1089137
The Quarterly Review of Biology called Fish Conservation "a much needed and timely book . . . an excellent melding of scientific rigor and scope, with readability and usefulness to nonspecialists."  Biological Conservation says the book "tackles large and complex issues with ease but . . . has the rare gift of being simultaneously hugely informative, scientifically robust, easy to read and filled with conservation suggestions and hope."  A review that will appear in the Journal of Fish Biology calls the book "an extremely competent scientific text" and recommends it  "unreservedly for anyone with an interest in fish conservation whether they are scientists, administrators or students."  A review in The Journal of the North Carolina Academy of Sciences said, "This is an exciting book written in a clear easy reading style. . . . Helfman has taken us where few have dared to go, because of the immensity of the biodiversity probems, yet has given us a book that will be of use . . .  for years to come."