Acidophiles

Contributors from a wide range of biological and environmental sciences. This up-to-date and comprehensive book is indispensable for environmental scientists and microbiologists and is a recommended acquisition for all microbiology libraries. Written by experts in their field, this important volume provides a comprehensive account of acidophilic microbiology from fundamental to applied aspects. The seventeen chapters are arranged in five sections, each dealing with a specific area. The first section looks at the challenges faced by life-forms that grow in extremely acidic environments and how they adapt to meet these challenges. The next section describes the physiological and phylogenetic diversities of acidophilic microorganisms including archaea, bacteria and eukaryotes. Section three covers acidophile community dynamics, quorum sensing and the formation of biofilms. The next section deals with the various omic technologies that are used to study acidophiles including genomic and metagenomic studies, proteomic-, mobilomic- and metabolomic-focused research. The final section considers the ways in which acidophiles are used in established and emerging biotechnologies and describes why these fascinating microorganisms are considered potential candidates for life on other solar bodies, such as Mars, and beyond.