Ecology and Evolution in Anoxic Worlds (Oxford Series in Ecology and Evolution)

Anoxic conditions--the environments in which life began--still persist in many places on Earth, such as in lake sediments, the guts of ruminants, and the deep waters of some marine basins. Ecology and Evolution in Anoxic Worlds offers a current and unified natural history of oxygen-free environments and their microbial inhabitants. Drawing on evidence from a variety of scientific disciplines, the authors--two leading researchers in the field--describe the forces known to shape the structure, function, heterogeneity, and evolution of anaerobic communities. Topics range from the origin and maintenance of anoxic habitats throughout Earth's history to the origin of prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and eukaryotic organelles to the development of microbial communities. Particular emphasis is placed on how energy-yielding pathways which have evolved in anaerobic microorganisms dictate the syntrophic and competitive interactions that shape anaerobic microbial community development. The ecological and evolutionary significance of the arrival of oxygen in the Proterozoic is discussed in detail. Splendidly readable, Ecology and Evolution in Anoxic Worlds brings an interdisciplinary topic of growing interest up-to-date. It will be sought after by students and researchers in ecology, microbiology, biochemistry, zoology, evolutionary biology, geology, marine biology, and oceanography.