The amoeba in the room Lives of the microbes

Money (botany, Miami Univ.; Mushroom, CH, May'12, 49-5056) addresses a topic that is vital to life on Earth, and as the title cleverly suggests, a topic that people do not discuss: the centrality of microbes to all life. Many single-celled organisms could do very well without multicellular organisms, but no multicellular organism could survive without unicellular organisms. The author begins by reviewing the history of the study of microbes and then brings together a multitude of examples of essential services that microbes provide on land, in the sea, and in the air. He focuses on the critical role of microbes on ecosystems both large and small, i.e., all aspects of life. This is an excellent popularization of the crisis of microbial ignorance. The writing style and the amazing number of examples make this a fascinating and informative work. Interested laypersons as well as professional microbiologists will discover many varied facets of the microbial impact on life on the planet. The book should be widely available to both scientists and others interested in the role of microbes in the biosphere. It will be particularly interesting to environmentalists in their examination of organismal relationships. --K. Michael Foos, Indiana University East

Writing passionately about a subject he clearly loves, Money, professor of botany at Miami Univ. (Ohio), explains the critically important, but largely overlooked, roles microbial organisms play in the world. He points out, for example, the amazing role that marine diatoms play in moderating climate change: "By absorbing 20 billion tons of carbon per year-about one fifth of the global total-they are a greater refrigerant on this warming planet than tropical rainforests." Money goes on to note that the number of individuals and species of microorganisms is staggering: the average gram of human feces contains 40 billion bacteria, a full 90% of the living matter in the oceans are microscopic, and "we have characterized only one millionth" of the viruses inhabiting the soil. His passion, however, will not be enough to fully engage most readers. His topic is so vast he writes as if he hasn't time to take a breath. While the big picture is made clear, the details-of which he presents a multitude-come too quickly and in too abbreviated a form to be grasped in a meaningful manner. Additionally, Money so regularly criticizes biologists for predominately studying and teaching about larger organisms that his very real concern becomes a prolonged moan. (Apr.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.