2. Evolution
Sebastian G.B. Amyes
in Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
‘Evolution’ describes binary fission (the process of bacteria division), rapid replication of DNA of bacteria, which promotes both lethal and beneficial mutations, and bacterial viruses or ...
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5. What cells can do
Terence Allen and Graham Cowling
in The Cell: A Very Short Introduction
‘What cells can do’ examines varied examples of cell specialisms that allow an organism to protect itself and respond to its environment. Firstly, it considers cells at the surface — ...
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3. Discovery
Sebastian G.B. Amyes
in Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
‘Discovery’ begins in the late 17th century with the work of Antonie van Leewenhoek who, using crude glass lenses as magnifying glasses, was able to see and describe red blood cells and ...
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5. Bacterial pathogenesis
Sebastian G.B. Amyes
in Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
‘Bacterial pathogenesis’ explains the stages of pathogenesis, virulence factors, the four groups of pathogenic bacteria (adhesins, aggressins, impedins, and invasins), plasmids, and ...
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6. Antibiotics
Sebastian G.B. Amyes
in Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
‘Antibiotics’ charts the work on the understanding and treatment of bacterial infections from the improvements of hygiene proposed by Florence Nightingale and Joseph Lister's antiseptics to ...
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6. Microbial ecology and evolution
Nicholas P. Money
in Microbiology: A Very Short Introduction
Many ecosystems are wholly microbial and the activities of microorganisms provide the biochemical foundation for plant and animal life. ‘Microbial ecology and evolution’ describes how ...
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5. Microbial and planktonic engines of the reef
Charles Sheppard
in Coral Reefs: A Very Short Introduction
Symbiotic algae are a crucial source of fuel for the reef, via corals and others, but how is the food and energy from the corals transferred to other parts of the ecosystem to support the ...
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4. Environment and civilization
Sebastian G.B. Amyes
in Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
‘Environment and civilization’ considers the everyday processes in which bacteria play an important role. Firstly, the bacterial contamination and spoilage of food and the methods of food ...
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8. The future
Sebastian G.B. Amyes
in Bacteria: A Very Short Introduction
‘The future’ considers the benefits and potential downfalls of research into the molecular biology of bacteria. Bacteria as a cause of disease and bacteria within the modern world are ...
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5. Microbiology of human health and disease
Nicholas P. Money
in Microbiology: A Very Short Introduction
Microbiological research has been dominated by studies on pathogenic organisms since the work of Louis Pasteur in the 19th century. Recent research suggests that populations of microbes ...
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8. Functional foods, superfoods, and supplements
David A. Bender
in Nutrition: A Very Short Introduction
When a vitamin or mineral deficiency is widespread in a population, a common approach is to enrich or fortify a staple food. ‘Functional foods, superfoods, and supplements’ defines ...
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2. How microbes operate
Nicholas P. Money
in Microbiology: A Very Short Introduction
‘How microbes operate’ considers the mechanisms that sustain prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms. All active cells must be supplied with water and an energy source. Absorption of ...
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4. Life support systems
Warwick F. Vincent
in Lakes: A Very Short Introduction
There is an astonishing variety and abundance of microscopic life that underpins the ecology of natural waters. The aquatic microbiome—made up of viruses, bacteria, archaea, and microbial ...
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2. Viruses are everywhere
Dorothy H. Crawford
in Viruses: A Very Short Introduction (2nd edn)
‘Viruses are everywhere’ describes the ‘virosphere’—the huge virus biomass of enormous variety and complexity in the environment. Viruses are the most numerous microbes on Earth with an ...
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5. Food chains to fish
Warwick F. Vincent
in Lakes: A Very Short Introduction
‘Food chains to fish’ considers the nature of pelagic and benthic food webs and the coupling between them. Life at the bottom of lakes in the benthic zone is mostly made up of worms, ...
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4. Levels of selection
Samir Okasha
in Philosophy of Biology: A Very Short Introduction
‘Levels of selection’ examines the levels-of-selection question, which asks whether natural selection acts on individuals, genes, or groups. This question is one of the most fundamental in ...
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3. What teeth do: food and feeding
Peter S. Ungar
in Teeth: A Very Short Introduction
‘What teeth do: food and feeding’ explains that to appreciate what teeth do, we first need to understand what vertebrates need from them. Different animals make different choices to meet ...
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The Cell: A Very Short Introduction
Terence Allen and Graham Cowling
The Cell: A Very Short Introduction describes the nature of cells — their basic structure, their varying forms, their division, their differentiation from initially highly ...
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2. The origin of sex
Michael J. Benton
in The History of Life: A Very Short Introduction
‘The origin of sex’ begins with John Maynard Smith who suggested that the advantage of sexual reproduction was that sex shuffles genes more effectively than parthenogenesis, introducing ...
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Marine Biology: A Very Short Introduction
Philip V. Mladenov
Marine Biology: A Very Short Introduction looks at marine life and marine processes. The marine environment is the largest, most important, and most mysterious habitat on our ...
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