Focuses on bacterial metabolism and its relevance to the environment, including the decomposition of soil, food chains, nitrogen fixation, and others. This work provides a historical perspective, and covers topics such as bioenergetic processes, characteristics of microbial communities, spacial heterogeneity, transport mechanisms, and more.

"Bacterial Biogeochemistry, Second Edition" focuses on bacterial metabolism and its relevance to the environment, including the decomposition of soil, food chains, nitrogen fixation, assimilation and reduction of carbon nitrogen and sulfur, and microbial symbiosis. The scope of the new edition has broadened to provide a historical perspective, and covers in greater depth topics such as bioenergetic processes, characteristics of microbial communities, spacial heterogeneity, transport mechanisms, microbial biofilms, extreme environments and evolution of biogeochemical cycles. It provides up-to-date coverage with an enlarged scope, a new historical perspective, and coverage in greater depth of topics of special interest. It covers interactions between microbial processes, atmospheric composition and the earth's greenhouse properties. It is completely rewritten to incorporate all the advances and discoveries of the last 20 years.

Preface. Introduction. General Considerations: Bacterial Metabolism. Bioenergetics of Microbial Metabolism. Transport Mechanisms and Structure of Microbial Communities. Mineral Cycles: Hydrolysis of Organic Polymers. Comparison of Element Cycles. The Water Column: Prokaryotic Primary Producers. Water Column Bacteria and Mineralisation. Biogeochemical Cycling in Soils: Soil Water as a Master Variable. Responses to Plant Organic Matter. Responses of Soil Biogeochemistry to Disturbance and Change. Aquatic Sediments: Comparison of Freshwater and Marine Sediments. The Carbon Cycle. The Nitrogen Cycle. The Phosphorus Cycle. Manganese and Iron. Microbial Mats and Stratified Water Columns: Mats Based on Colourless Sulfur Bacteria. Cyanobacterial Mats. Other Types of Mats. Stratified Water Columns. Symbiotic Systems: The Role of Symbiosis in the Biosphere. Symbiotic Polymer Degradation. Symbiotic Nitrogen Fixation. Autotrophic Bacteria as Symbionts. Biogeochemistry and Extreme Environments. Microbial Biogeochemical Cycling and the Atmosphere: The Atmosphere as an Elemental Reservoir. Atmospheric Structure and Evolution. Synopsis of Trace Gas Biogeochemistry and Linkages to Climate Change. Trace Gas Dynamics and Climate Change: An Analysis of Methane Production and Consumption.
Summary and Conclusion. Origins and Evolution of Biogeochemical Cycles: Biogeochemical Cycles and Thermodynamics. Pre-Biotic Earth and Mineral Cycles. Theoretical Perspectives on the Origin of Life. Evolution of Biogeochemical Cycles. Appendix: Thermodynamics and Calculation of Energy Yields of Metabolic Processes.