Preface.

Contributors.

Perspective: Microbiology in Transition (C. Woese).

PART I: EVOLUTION AND DIVERSITY OF MICROORGANISMS IN ECOSYSTEMS.

A Microbiological Perspective of Biodiversity (J. Staley).

Natural History of Microorganisms Inhabiting Hot Spring Microbial Mat Communities: Clues to the Origin of Microbial Diversity and Implications for Microbiology and Marcobiology (D. Ward, et al.).

Microbial Mats and Biofilms: Evolution, Structure, and Function of Fixed Microbial Communities (A. Teske & D. Stahl).

PART II: PHYSIOLOGICAL AND METABOLIC DIVERSITY OF MICROORGANISMS.

Evolution of Energy Metabolism (J. Leigh).

Evolution and Diversity of Photosynthethic Prokaryotes (B. Pierson).

Diversity of Microbial Heterotrophic Metabolism (J. Perry).

PART III: MICROBIAL DIVERSITY OF MAJOR ECOSYSTEMS.

Exploring the Diversity of SoilA Microbial Rain Forest (D. Buckley & T. Schmidt).

Marine Prokaryote Diversity (M. Suzuki & E. DeLong).

PART IV: BIODIVERSITY AND ROLE OF MICROORGANISMS IN PLANT AND ANIMAL SYMBIOSES.

Plant--Microbe Symbioses: An Evolutionary Survey (R. Goodman & J. Weisz).

Insights from Insect-Microbe Symbioses (M. Kane & U. Mueller).

Getting in Touch with Your Prokaryotic Self: Mammal--Microbe Interactions (A. Salyers & J. Shipman).

PART V: MICROBIAL DIVERSITY OF EXTREME ENVIRONMENTS.

Microbial Diversity of Marine and Terrestrial Thermal Springs (A.-L. Reysenbach, et al.).

And Some Like it Cold: Sea Ice Microbiology (J. Staley, et al.).

The Deep Subsurface Biosphere (T. Stevens).

PART VI: MICROBIAL DIVERSITY, BIOTECHNOLOGY AND THE FUTURE OF BIODIVERSITY.

Exploiting Microbial Diversity (A. Kuo & G. Garrity).

The Future of Microbial Diversity Research (R. Colwell).

Index.