Microbial Fermentations in Nature And as Designed Processes

This book describes the basic concepts and recent advances in new discoveries and technologies related to microbial omics and their role in environmental research and human health. The term "omics" refers to a blend of high-throughput analysis and traditional methods including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomics for a variety of applications in the field of life sciences, biomedical sciences, environmental sciences, and related industries. The book aims to fill the existing gap in terms of a comprehensive approach that incorporates recent advances in this dynamic field and provides an answer to why this field requires an interdisciplinary research approach.

Energy in Nature and Society is a systematic and comprehensive analysis of all the major energy sources, storages, flows, and conversions that have shaped the evolution of the biosphere and civilization.

Microbial communities and their multi-functionalities play a crucial role in the management of soil and plant health, and thus help in managing agro-ecology, the environment and agriculture. Microorganisms are key players in N-fixation, nutrient acquisition, carbon sequestration, plant growth promotion, pathogen suppression, induced systemic resistance and tolerance against stresses, and these parameters are used as indicators of improved crop productivity and sustainable soil health.

Connections are important: in studying nature, technology, commerce and the social sciences, it often makes sense to focus on the pattern of interactions between individual components. Furthermore, improvements in computing power have made it possible to gather, store and analyze large data sets across many disciplines, and it is apparent that universal features may exist across seemingly disparate application areas.