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This volume details the exploration, collection, characterization, evaluation and conservation of microbes for sustainable utilization in the development of the global as well as national economies, e.g. in agriculture, ecosystems, environments, industry and medicine. Many research institutes and universities all over the world carry out microbiological and biotechnological research, which generates substantial genomic resources such as cDNA libraries, gene constructs, promoter regions, transgenes and more valuable assets for gene discovery and transgenic product development. This work provides up-to-date information on the management of microbial resources in the environment. It also covers the ecology of microorganisms in natural and engineered environments. In trying to understand microbial interactions it further focuses on genomic, metagenomic and molecular advances, as well as on microbial diversity and phylogeny; ecological studies of human, animal and plant microbiology and disease; microbial processes and interactions in the environment; and key technological advances. Though not intended to serve as an encyclopedic review of the subject, the various chapters investigate both theoretical and practical aspects and provide essential basic information for future research to support continued development.

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1. Management of Microbial Resources in the Environment: A Broad Perspective.- 2. Recent development in the methods of studying microbial diversity.- 3. Microbial resource centres towards harnessing microbial diversity for human welfare.- 4. Fungal Biodiversity: A potential tool in plant disease management.- 5. Polyphasic identification and preservation of fungal diversity: concepts and applications.- 6. Bioinformatics approaches in studying microbial diversity.- 7. Recent advantages in metagenomic studies of soil microbial communities.- 8. Mobile genetic elements (MGEs) carrying catabolic genes.- 9. Conjugative plasmids in anthropogenic soils.- 10. Potential eco-friendly soil microorganisms: Road towards green and sustainable agriculture.- 11. Current Aspects of Metal Resistant Bacteria in Bioremediation: From Genes to Ecosystem.- 12. Anaerobic Digestion of the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste.- 13. Microbial Insecticides: Food Security and Human Health.- 14. Plant Growth Promoting Rhizobacteria (PGPR): Microbes in Sustainable Agriculture.- 15. Antibiotic resistance gene pool and Bacterial adaptation to Xenobiotics in the Environment.- 16. Synthetic lethal genetic interaction network and its utility for anticancer therapy.- 17. Adaptation of Candida albicans for growth within the host.- 18. Microbial biotechnology in marine biosystems.- 19. Bacteriocins: natural weapons for control of food pathogens.- 20. Anaerobic degradation of lindane and related compounds.

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