The Prokaryotes-Vol 4.pdf

The Prokaryotes

Third Edition

The Prokaryotes

A Handbook on the Biology of Bacteria

Third Edition

Volume 4: Bacteria: Firmicutes, Cyanobacteria

MARTIN DWORKIN (Editor-in-Chief), STANLEY FALKOW, EUGENE ROSENBERG,

KARL-HEINZ SCHLEIFER, ERKO STACKEBRANDT (Editors)

Editor-in-Chief

Professor Dr. Martin Dworkin

Department of Microbiology

University of Minnesota

Box 196

University of Minnesota

Minneapolis, MN 55455-0312

USA

Editors

Professor Dr. Stanley Falkow

Department of Microbiology

and Immunology

Stanford University Medical School

299 Campus Drive, Fairchild D039

Stanford, CA 94305-5124

USA

Professor Dr. Karl-Heinz Schleifer

Department of Microbiology

Technical University Munich

80290 Munich

Germany

Professor Dr. Erko Stackebrandt

DSMZ- German Collection of Microorganisms

and Cell Cultures GmbH

Mascheroder Weg 1b

38124 Braunschweig

Germany

Professor Dr. Eugene Rosenberg

Department of Molecular Microbiology

and Biotechnology

Tel Aviv University

Ramat-Aviv 69978

Israel

URLs in The Prokaryotes : Uncommon Web sites have been listed in the text. However, the following Web sites

have been referred to numerous times and have been suppressed for aesthetic purposes: www.bergeys.org;

www.tigr.org; dx.doi.org; www.fp.mcs.anl.gov; www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov; www.genome.ad.jp; www.cme.msu.edu;

umbbd.ahc.umn.edu; www.dmsz.de; and www.arb-home.de. The entirety of all these Web links have been main-

tained in the electronic version.

Library of Congress Control Number: 91017256

Volume 4

ISBN-10: 0-387-25494-3

ISBN-13: 978-0387-25494-4

e-ISBN: 0-387-30744-3

Print + e-ISBN: 0-387-33490-4

DOI: 10.1007/0-387-30744-3

Volumes 1–7 (Set)

ISBN-10: 0-387-25499-4

ISBN-13: 978-0387-25499-9

e-ISBN: 0-387-30740-0

e-ISBN: 0-387-33488-2

Printed on acid-free paper.

publisher (Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, 233 Spring Street, New York, NY 10013, USA), except for brief excerpts

in connection with reviews or scholarly analysis. Use in connection with any form of information storage and retrieval,

electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed is

forbidden.

The use in this publication of trade names, trademarks, service marks, and similar terms, even if they are not identiﬁed as

such, is not to be taken as an expression of opinion as to whether or not they are subject to proprietary rights.

Printed in Singapore.

(BS/KYO)

987654321

springer.com

Preface

Each of the ﬁrst two editions of The Prokaryotes

took a bold step. The ﬁrst edition, published in

1981, set out to be an encyclopedic, synoptic

account of the world of the prokaryotes—a col-

lection of monographic descriptions of the

genera of bacteria. The Archaea had not yet been

formalized as a group. For the second edition in

1992, the editors made the decision to organize

the chapters on the basis of the molecular phy-

logeny championed by Carl Woese, which

increasingly provided a rational, evolutionary

basis for the taxonomy of the prokaryotes. In

addition, the archaea had by then been recog-

nized as a phylogenetically separate and distin-

guishable group of the prokaryotes. The two

volumes of the ﬁrst edition had by then

expanded to four. The third edition was arguably

the boldest step of all. We decided that the mate-

rial would only be presented electronically. The

advantages were obvious and persuasive. There

would be essentially unlimited space. There

would be no restrictions on the use of color illus-

trations. Film and animated descriptions could be

made available. The text would be hyperlinked

to external sources. Publication of chapters

would be seriati—the edition would no longer

have to delay publication until the last tardy

author had submitted his or her chapter. Updates

and modiﬁcations could be made continuously.

And, most attractively, a library could place its

subscribed copy on its server and make it avail-

able easily and cheaply to all in its community.

One hundred and seventy chapters have thus far

been presented in 16 releases over a six-year

period. The virtues and advantages of the online

edition have been borne out. But we failed to

predict the affection that many have for holding

a bound, print version of a book in their hands.

Thus, this print version of the third edition shall

accompany the online version.

We are now four years into the 21st century.

Indulge us then while we comment on the chal-

lenges, problems and opportunities for microbi-

ology that confront us.

Moselio Schaechter has referred to the present

era of microbiology as its third golden age—the

era of “integrative microbiology.” Essentially all

microbiologists now speak a common language.

So that the boundaries that previously separated

subdisciplines from each other have faded: phys-

iology has become indistinguishable from patho-

genesis; ecologists and molecular geneticists

speak to each other; biochemistry is spoken by

all; and—mirabile dictu!—molecular biologists

are collaborating with taxonomists.

But before these molecular dissections of

complex processes can be effective there must be

a clear view of the organism being studied. And

it is our goal that these chapters in The Prokary-

otes provide that opportunity.

There is also yet a larger issue. Microbiology

is now confronted with the need to understand

increasingly complex processes. And the modus

operandi that has served us so successfully for

150 years—that of the pure culture studied under

standard laboratory conditions—is inadequate.

We are now challenged to solve problems of

multimembered populations interacting with

each other and with their environment under

constantly variable conditions. Carl Woese has

pointed out a useful and important distinction

between empirical, methodological reductionism

and fundamentalist reductionism. The former

has served us well; the latter stands in the way of

our further understanding of complex, interact-

ing systems. But no matter what kind of synop-

tic systems analysis emerges as our way of

understanding host–parasite relations, ecology,

or multicellular behavior, the understanding of

the organism as such is sine qua non. And in that

context, we are pleased to present to you the

third edition of The Prokaryotes .

Martin Dworkin

Editor-in-Chief

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