covers the basic principles of prokaryotic physiology, biochemistry, and cell behavior. Concise and detailed, it discusses a broad range of topics including intermediary metabolism, macromolecular synthesis, cell growth and division, and responses to changes in external growth conditions. Metabolic and behavioral activities of different bacteria and archaea are described and compared with each other. The text is organized by topic--as opposed to by organism--to help students comprehend the general principles of physiology and metabolism. It is extensively referenced and includes endnotes that provide students with additional information such as the experimental bases for several of the major conclusions. Each chapter concludes with a summary emphasizing the major points covered and a set of study questions. Revised and updated throughout, this second edition features new chapters on macromolecular synthesis and the response of bacteria to environmental stress. It also includes new material on cell division and extracellular polysaccharide synthesis and expands the chapter on signaling. The Physiology and Biochemistry of Prokaryotes, 2/e, provides more detail on the diversity of microbial systems and how they work than all similar texts. It can be used in conjunction with a laboratory manual, Microbial Physiology and Biochemistry Laboratory: A Quantitative Approach, coauthored by David White and George D. Hegeman (OUP, 1997).

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