Interfaces in Microbial Ecology

by K. C. Marshall

Overview

Natural microbial habitats include various interfaces—liquid-liquid, gas-liquid, solid-liquid, and solid-gas. An interface, the boundary between two phases, has physical and chemical properties that differ from those of either phase. Bacteria, yeasts, and algae often concentrate at interfaces, and the ability of microorganisms to exploit resources in their environment may be markedly affected by the nature of the available interfaces. Included within the realm of microbial activity at interfaces are such wide-ranging topics as predator-prey relations, tooth decay, gastrointestinal tract infections, mating contact, marine fouling, adsorptive bubble processes, oil degradation, rhizosphere associations, and bacterium-clay interactions.

In this book, bacteria are treated as living colloidal systems, and the behavior of microorganisms at interfaces is analyzed on the basis of this concept. Nonspecific physical and chemical forces acting on microorganisms at interfaces are described and related to biological factors determining the distribution of and interaction between microorganisms in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The final chapter describes specific microbe-microbe, microbe-plant, and microbe-animal interfacial interactions.

Although laboratory studies of cultured microorganisms are essential in assessing their potential capabilities, an individual microbial species in a natural habitat is confronted by physical, chemical, and biological interactions rarely encountered under pure culture conditions. Interfaces are important aspects of microbial ecosystems, and this study of the influence of interfaces on natural habitats is an important and original contribution to microbial ecology.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780674423336
Publisher:	Harvard University Press
Publication date:	02/05/1976
Edition description:	Reprint 2014
Pages:	166
Product dimensions:	6.10(w) x 9.06(h) x (d)

About the Author

Marshall K. C. :

K. C. Marshall is Professor of Microbiology at the University of New South Wales.

Table of Contents

1. Introduction to the Concept of Interfaces in Microbial Ecology

Microorganisms in Natural Habitats

What is an Interface?

Bacteria as Living Colloidal Systems

2. Liquid-Liquid and Gas-Liquid Interfaces

Interfacial Tension

Bacteria at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces

Factors Influencing Bacterial Behavior at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces

Bacteria at Gas-Liquid Interfaces

3. Solid-Liquid and Solid-Gas Interfaces

Adsorption of Macromolecules at Solid-Liquid Interfaces

Attraction of Ions to Surfaces-The Diffuse Electrical Double Layer

Attraction of Bacteria to Solid Surfaces

Firm Adhesion of Bacteria to Surfaces

Microbe-Microbe Interactions (Aggregate Formation)

Adsorption of Colloids and Macromolecules to Bacterial Surfaces

4. Nonspecific Interfacial Interactions in Microbial Ecology: Aquatic Ecosystems

Some Definitions

Periphytic Microorganisms

Microorganisms in the Bulk Liquid Phase (Plankton)

Epiphytic Microorganisms Tripton-Associated Microorganisms

Benthic Microorganisms

Neuston-Associated Microorganisms

5. Nonspecific Interfacial Interactions in Microbial Ecology: Terrestrial Ecosystems

Soil Structure and Microbial Microhabitats

Ecology of Soil Microorganisms

The Rhizosphere

The Phyllosphere

Microorganisms and Mineral Dissolution

6. Specific Interfacial Interactions in Microbial Ecology

Microbe-Microbe Interactions

Microbe-Plant Interactions

Microbe-Animal Interactions

References

Index