Accessing Uncultivated Microorganisms: From the Environment to Organisms and Genomes and Back

Microbes are extremely diverse, yet only a tiny fraction of organisms present in any given environment can be cultivated in the laboratory. Evaluating microbial diversity and identifying individual organisms responsible for specific processes in the environment are fundamental and challenging tasks in microbial ecology and applied microbiology. This comprehensive and useful volume provides a complete overview of methods and approaches to studying microbial diversity. While emphasizing new innovative methods, the book also addresses established methods and provides "hands on" advice on how to isolate, cultivate, and study organisms.