This book explores the ethnobiology of corals by examining the various ways in which humans, past and present, have exploited and taken care of coral and coralline habitats. This book will bring the educated general audience closer to corals by exploring the various circumstances of human-coral coexistence by providing scientifically sound and jargon-free perspectives and experiences from across the globe. Corals are a vital part of the marine environment since they promote and sustain marine and global biodiversity while providing numerous other environmental and cultural services. Countless valuable coral conservation efforts are published in academic and general audience venues on a daily basis. However relevant, few of these reports show a direct, deeper understanding of the intimate relationship between people and corals throughout the world’s societies. Ethnobiology of Corals and Coral Reefs establishes an intimate bond between the audience and the wonder of corals and their importance to humankind.

The Prokaryotes is a comprehensive, multi-authored, peer reviewed reference work on Bacteria and Achaea. This fourth edition of The Prokaryotes is organized to cover all taxonomic diversity, using the family level to delineate chapters. Different from other resources, this new Springer product includes not only taxonomy, but also prokaryotic biology and technology of taxa in a broad context. Technological aspects highlight the usefulness of prokaryotes in processes and products, including biocontrol agents and as genetics tools. The content of the expanded fourth edition is divided into two parts: Part 1 contains review chapters dealing with the most important general concepts in molecular, applied and general prokaryote biology; Part 2 describes the known properties of specific taxonomic groups. Two completely new sections have been added to Part 1: bacterial communities and human bacteriology. The bacterial communities section reflects the growing realization that studies on pure cultures of bacteria have led to an incomplete picture of the microbial world for two fundamental reasons: the vast majority of bacteria in soil, water and associated with biological tissues are currently not culturable, and that an understanding of microbial ecology requires knowledge on how different bacterial species interact with each other in their natural environment. The new section on human microbiology deals with bacteria associated with healthy humans and bacterial pathogenesis. Each of the major human diseases caused by bacteria is reviewed, from identifying the pathogens by classical clinical and non-culturing techniques to the biochemical mechanisms of the disease process. The 4th edition of The Prokaryotes is the most complete resource on the biology of prokaryotes. The following volumes are published consecutively within the 4th Edition: Prokaryotic Biology and Symbiotic Associations Prokaryotic Communities and Ecophysiology Prokaryotic Physiology and Biochemistry Applied Bacteriology and Biotechnology Human Microbiology Actinobacteria Firmicutes Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria Gammaproteobacteria Deltaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria Other Major Lineages of Bacteria and the Archaea

"This volume provides a blueprint for managing the challenges of ocean conservation using marine historical ecology--an area of study evolving as societies confront ocean ecosystems that are being drastically altered by human activity. Applying the practice of historical ecology developed in terrestrial environments, Marine Historical Ecology guides the creation of historical baselines for marine species and ecosystems in order to inform and improve conservation and management efforts"--Provided by publisher.

''An essential book for people working in the area of sulfur compounds in the environment and should be in all institutional libraries....Well indexed, well presented.'' --- SGM Quarterly, November 1997 ''Extremely useful and well-produced symposium volume that should be of interest to many environmental scientists, microbial and plant physiologists, and aquatic ecologists.'' The Quarterly Review of Biology, June 1998

Reviews the evidence underpinning the Anthropocene as a geological epoch written by the Anthropocene Working Group investigating it. The book discusses ongoing changes to the Earth system within the context of deep geological time, allowing a comparison between the global transition taking place today with major transitions in Earth history.

This comprehensive book provides a unique overview of advances in the biology and ecology of marine protists. Nowadays marine protistology is a hot spot in science to disclose life phenomena using the latest techniques. Although many protistological textbooks deal with the cytology, genetics, ecology, and pathology of specific organisms, none keeps up with the quick pace of new discoveries on the diversity and dynamics of marine protists in general. The bookMarine Protists: Diversity and Dynamics gives an overview of current research on the phylogeny, cytology, genomics, biology, ecology, fisheries, applied sciences, geology and pathology of marine free-living and symbiotic protists. Poorly known but ecologically important protists such as labyrinthulids and apostome ciliates are also presented in detail. Special attention is paid to complex interactions between marine protists and other organisms including human beings. An understanding of the ecological roles of marine protists is essential for conservation of nature and human welfare. This book will be of great interest not only to scientists and students but also to a larger audience, to give a better understanding of protists’ diverse roles in marine ecosystems.

This volume presents a broad panorama of the current status of research of invertebrate animals considered belonging to the phylum Cnidaria, such as hydra, jellyfish, sea anemone, and coral. In this book the Cnidarians are traced from the Earth’s primordial oceans, to their response to the warming and acidifying oceans. Due to the role of corals in the carbon and calcium cycles, various aspects of cnidarian calcification are discussed. The relation of the Cnidaria with Mankind is approached, in accordance with the Editors’ philosophy of bridging the artificial schism between science, arts and Humanities. Cnidarians' encounters with humans result in a broad spectrum of medical emergencies that are reviewed. The final section of the volume is devoted to the role of Hydra and Medusa in mythology and art.