Advances in Microbial Ecology

1 Implications of Resource-Ratio Theory for Microbial Ecology.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Fundamentals of Resource-Ratio Theory.- 3. Effects of Resource Supply Ratios on Microbial Competition.- 4. Resource Supply Ratios and the Outcome of Infectious Disease.- 5. Resource Supply Ratios and the Formation of Stable Symbioses.- 6. Conclusions.- References.- 2 13C Tracer Methodology in Microbial Ecology with Special Reference to Primary Production Processes in Aquatic Environments.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Estimation of Photosynthetic Rate by 13C Tracer Method.- 3. Results of 13C Tracer Method.- 4. Combination of 13C Tracer Technique with Other Methods.- 5. Application of 13C Tracer Method to Aquatic Food Web.- 6. Conclusion.- References.- 3 Sex in Ciliates.- 1. Introduction.- 2. The Discovery of Sex in Ciliates.- 3. The Species Concept and Sex.- 4. Breeding Systems and the Species Problem.- 5. How Breeding Systems Affect the Practice of Genetics in Ciliates.- 6. The Timing of Sex in Ciliates.- 7. Communication between Cells for Sexual Purposes.- 8. Breeding System Theory and Ecological Associations.- 9. Laboratory Investigations of Sexual Alternatives.- References.- 4 Microbial Ecology in Lake Cisó.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Taxonomy.- 3. Size.- 4. Trophic Roles.- 5. Population Ecology of the Main Primary Producers.- 6. Conclusions.- References.- 5 Biological Activities of Symbiotic and Parasitic Protists in Low-Oxygen Environments.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Protists Resident in the Intestinal Tract.- 3. Biochemical Activities and Role of Intestinal Eukaryotes.- 4. Biochemical Activities of Protists in the Urogenital Tract.- References.- 6 Intraclonal Polymorphism in Bacteria.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Definitions and Terminology.- 3. Variation of Colony Morphology.- 4. Colony Sectoring.- 5.Examples of Intraclonal Polymorphism.- 6. Intraclonal Polymorphism in Bacteria: Development of a Hypothesis.- 7. Genetic Mechanisms Controlling Intraclonal Polymorphism.- 8. Intraclonal Bacterial Polymorphism: A Hypothesis.- 9. Testing the Hypothesis.- 10. The Significance and Implications of Intraclonal Polymorphism in Bacteria.- 11. Conclusions.- References.- 7 Decomposition of Shoots of a Salt-Marsh Grass: Methodology and Dynamics of Microbial Assemblages.- 1. Introduction: Methods and Artifacts in Grassland-Decomposition Research.- 2. Smooth Cordgrass: A Popular Research Target.- 3. Microbial Participation in Cordgrass Decay.- 4. Microbes and Cordgrass Decay: Summary.- 5. Selected Intriguing Questions.- References.- 8 Dynamics of Autotrophic Picoplankton in Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Population Dynamics of Autotrophic Picoplankton—Seasonal Variation.- 3. Short-Term Variation and Diel Periodicity.- 4. Prokaryotic and Eukaryotic Picoplankton in Relation to the Trophic State: A Hypothesis to Explain the Dominance of Prokaryotes in Oligotrophic Waters.- 5. Concluding Remarks.- References.- 9 Fact or Fiction—Bacterial Growth Rates and Production as Determined by [methyl-3H]Thymidine?.- 1. Introduction.- 2. Theoretical Basis for the Use of Thymidine.- 3. Historical Development of the [3H]-TdR Assay for Bacterial Growth Estimates in Natural Systems.- 4. Factors Affecting Growth Rate and Production Estimates.- 5. Conclusions.- References.