Enzymes in the Environment: Activity, Ecology, and Applications

by Richard G. Burns (Editor), Richard P. Dick (Editor)

Overview

The need to understand the biological processes that are important for essential aquatic and terrestrial ecosystem function has prompted much research into the field of ecological enzymology. This book presents the two broad areas of application in a compilation of reviews by 21 international experts in their respective fields. The first explores enzymatic activities to assess the processes or mechanisms that operate in a given system, such as the rhizosphere, plant leaves and shoots, soil surfaces, and biofilms. The second considers enzymes or microbial cells as sensors to detect microbial activity and stresses due to pollution, management, or climatic change in both aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780824706142
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	01/29/2002
Series:	Books in Soils, Plants, and the Environment , #86
Pages:	640
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Richard G. Burns is Professor of Environmental Microbiology at the University of Kent, Canterbury, England. The author, coauthor, editor or coeditor of over 100 research articles, book chapters and books, he is a member of the Society for General Microbiology, the International Union of Soil Sciences, the International Association on Water Quality, and the Society of Chemical Industry. A Chief Editor of Soil Biology & Biochemistry, he received the B.Sc. degree (1966) from the University of Wales, and the Ph.D. degree (1969) from the University of London, England. Richard P. Dick is Professor of Soil Science at Oregon State University, Corvallis. The author, coauthor, editor or coeditor of over 120 journal articles, invited proceedings, book chapters and books, he is a member of the Soil Science Society of America and the International Union of Soil Sciences, among others. A Fulbright Scholar and an associate editor for the Soil Science Society of America Journal, he received the B.S. degree (1974) in plant science from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, the M.S. degree (1977) in soil science from Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, and the Ph.D. degree (1985) in soil science from Iowa State University, Ames.

Table of Contents

Preface. Contributors. Enzyme Activities and Microbiological and Biochemical Processes in Soil. Ecology of Microbial Enzymes in Lake Ecosystems. Ecological Significance of Bacterial Enzymes in the Marine Environment. Enzymes and Microorganisms in the Rhizosphere. Enzymes in the Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Symbiosis. Microbes and Enzymes associated With Plant Surfaces. Microbial Enzymes in the Biocontrol of Plant Pathogens and Pests. Micorbiology and Enzymology of Carbon and Nitrogen Cycling. Enzyme and Microbial Dynamics of Litter Decomposition. Fungal Communities, Succession, Enzymes, and Decomposition. Enzyme Adsorption on Soil Mineral Surfaces and Consequences for the Catalytic Activity. Microbes and Enzymes in Biofilms. Search For and Discovery of Microbial Enzymes From Thermally Extreme Environments in the Ocean. Molecular Methods for Assessing and Manipulating the Diversity of Microbial Polulations and Processes. Bioindicators and Sensors of Soil Health and the Application of Geostatistics. Hydrolytic Enzyme Activities to Assess Soil Degradation and Recovery. Enzymatic Responses to Pollution in Sediments and Aquatic Systems. Microbial Dehalogenation Reactions in Microorganisms. Isolated Enzymes for the Transformation and Detoxification of Organic Pollutants. Enzyme-Mediated Transformations of Heavy metals/Metalloids: Applications in Bioremediation. Enzymes in Soil: Research and Developments in Measuring Activities. Index.

Editorial Reviews

"...highly complex environments are excellent[ly] illustrated in this book. .... 'Enzymes in the Environment' [is] equally recommended to the soil and environmental scientists, biochemists, enzymologists, microbiologists, toxicologists, geneticists, agriculturists, as well as to undergraduate and graduate students in all these scientific areas."
- Prof. Emil Dumitriu, Ph.D. (in IASI Polytechnic Magazine, Vol. 16, no. 114, Dec. 2004)

From the Publisher

Burns (environmental microbiology, U. of Kent, UK) and Dick (soil science, Oregon State U., USA) present a reference to the actions of enzymes in water and soil and the reactions of the environment to their activity. Reflecting the multidisciplinary nature of the conference of the same name, held in Granada, Spain, in July 1999, the volume looks at both the study of enzymatic activities in order to better comprehend the processes or mechanisms that are operating in a given system and explicit applied goals related to manipulating or preserving the environment in question. Highly complex environments such as the rhizosphere, plant leaves and shoots, soil surfaces, and biofilms are accorded separate chapters. Among the applications studies are microbe-plant symbioses, controlling plant pathogens, understanding organic matter decomposition and its impact on local and global carbon and nitrogen cycles, and environmental remediation of contaminated soils and sediments. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)