Modern Soil Microbiology

Part 1 Introductory chapters: soil as an environment for microbial life; the rhizosphere as a habitat for soil microorganisms; culturable and nonculturable bacteria in soil; the fungi in soil; ecology and biology of soil protozoa, nematodes and microarthropods; interactions between microbe-feeding invertebrates and soil microorganisms; microbial processes within the soil. Part 2 Modern methodology and approaches: direct approaches for studying soil microbes; indirect approaches for studying soil microorganisms based on cell extraction and culturing; microbial biomarkers; application of denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis and temperature gradient gel electrophoresis for studying soil microbial communities; microbial diversity in soil - the need for a combined approach using molecular and cultivation techniques; adaptation of bacteria to soil conditions - applications of molecular physiology in soil microbiology; microbial ecology, inoculant distribution and gene flux within populations of bacteria colonizing the surface of plants - case study of a GMM field release in the United Kingdom. Part 3 Soil microbial processes and soil perturbance. (Part contents).