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NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: NO MICROBE IS AN ISLAND
Citation:
Hurst*, C J. AND M. Alexander. NEIGHBORHOODS AND COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: NO MICROBE IS AN ISLAND. Chapter 2, C. J. Hurst, et al (ed.), Manual of Environmental Microbiology, Second Edition. American Society for Microbiology, Washington, DC, , 6-18, (2001).
Impact/Purpose:
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Description:
The most important thing which must be understood about microorganisms in their environments is that no microbe exists by itself. We should consider that in the environment no microbe is an island existing independently. There are only a few, extremely rare, instances when a single species exists naturally in pure culture. The interactions and interdependence between members of different species is a consequence of the evolution of those species into their occupation of specific niches. The second most important thing to recognize is that, all of those same types of interactions likewise exist in the microbial world. These interactions include such things as: peaceful coexistences, competitions, hunting and hiding, plus the use of chemical attractants, repellants and toxicants.
