Introduction to Geomicrobiology

The following topics are covered:

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• how microorganisms are classified, the physical constraints governing their growth, molecular approaches to studying microbial diversity, and life in extreme environments
  
• bioenergetics, microbial metabolic capabilities, and major biogeochemical pathways
  
• chemical reactivity of the cell surface, metal sorption, and the microbial role in contaminant mobility and bioremediation/biorecovery
  
• microbiological mineral formation and fossilization
  
• the function of microorganisms in mineral dissolution and oxidation, and the industrial and environmental ramifications of these processes
  
• elemental cycling in biofilms, formation of microbialites, and sediment diagenesis
  
• the events that led to the emergence of life, evolution of metabolic processes, and the diversification of the biosphere.

Artwork from the book is available to instructors at www.blackwellpublishing.com/konhauser.