Ecology of Cyanobacteria II - Their Diversity in Space and Time

pCyanobacteria have existed for 3.5 billion years, yet they are still the most important photosynthetic organisms on the planet for cycling carbon and nitrogen.� The ecosystems where they have key roles range from the warmer oceans to many Antarctic sites.� They also include dense nuisance growths in nutrient-rich lakes and nitrogen-fixers which aid the fertility of rice-fields and many soils, especially the biological soil crusts of arid regions.�� Molecular biology has in recent years provided major advances in our understanding of cyanobacterial ecology.� Perhaps for more than any other group of organisms, it is possible to see how the ecology, physiology, biochemistry, ultrastructure and molecular biology interact.� This all helps to deal with practical problems such as the control of nuisance blooms and the use of cyanobacterial inocula to manage semi-desert soils.� Large-scale culture of several organisms, especially "Spirulina" (iArthrospira/i), for health food and specialist products is increasingly being expanded for a much wider range of uses.�� In view of their probable contribution to past oil deposits, much attention is currently focused on their potential as a source of biofuel./ppPlease visit http://extras.springer.com/�to view Extra Materials belonging to this volume./ppThis�book complements the�highly successful iEcology of Cyanobacteria/i and integrates the discoveries of the past twelve years with the older literature./pp�� /p