Preface

Environmental microbiology is a subfield of microbiology that studies the role of microorganisms in maintaining a healthy, viable, and habitable environment. The role of micro-organisms aims to foster a prosperous, viable and inhabited environment. Microbes are considered to have both negative and positive effects on the environment, as their pollution can cause severe health problems, while on the other hand, they have various beneficial uses such as organic material degradation, being a source of nutrients in food chains, nutrient recycling, and pollutant bioremediation. This book offers an introduction to the discipline of environmental microbiology. It also demonstrates the importance of environmental microbes in our daily lives. It describes the main microorganisms that are found in environmental microbiology, their methodological options, and possible human impact. There is more to the successful exploitation of a given environment than can be explained exclusively in terms of environmental microbiology. An important thrust in this book is the new challenges of modern environmental microbiology, where pathogens and bioremediation are still important topics. This book is the result of hard work and the many efforts of the different authors. We pay them a warm thanks. This book provides a comprehensive review on environmental microbiology. The chapters, each written by subject matter specialists, help scientists, teachers, students, extension workers, farmers, consumers, administrators, traders and NGOs in increasing their understanding of environmental microbiology. This book on environmental microbiology comprises 10 chapters. The topics of our chapters are as follows: (1) Environmental microbiology: introduction and scope, (2) Impact of microbial diversity on the environment, (3) Rhizospheric microbial communication, (4) Microbial communication: a significant approach to understand microbial activities, and interactions, (5) Nutrient cycling: an approach to environmental sustainability, (6) Microbial biosensors for environmental monitoring, (7) Microbial degradation, bioremediation and biotransformation, (8) Bioremediation of hazardous organics in industrial refuses, (9) Role of microbial biofilms in bioremediation, (10) Microbial processing for the valorization of waste and application. Internationally, the interdisciplinary and multifactor global modern system of teamwork has been recognized for scientific excellence. Therefore, most chapters have involved the collaboration of 4–8 or more diverse international authors from different countries. Thus the book represents a truly global perspective consistent with the nature of environmental microbiology.