Red Algae in the Genomic Age

ISBN-13: 9789400732865 / Angielski / Miękka / 2012 / 500 str.

Joseph Seckbach; David J. Chapman

Opis

r ed Algae in Genome Age book most people reading this book have childhood memories about being enthralled at the beach with those rare and mysterious living forms we knew as seaweeds. We were fascinated at that time by their range of red hues and textures, and most of all, their exotic beauty. t o a scientist, red algae represent much more than apparent features. t heir complex forms have attracted morphologists for centuries; their intricate life cycles have brought more than one surprise to plant biologists familiar only with ferns and fowering plants; their unusual tastes have been appreciated for mill- nia, and their valuable chemical constituents have been exploited for nearly as long, most recently by biotech companies; their diversity in marine, freshwater, and t- restrial environments has offered centuries of engaging entertainment for botanists eager to arrange them in orderly classifcation systems; still, the red algae continue to teach us how many more challenges need to be overcome in order to understand their biodiversity, biological functions, and evolutionary histories.

Spis treści

Introduction, J. Seckbach and D.J. Chapman. Foreword, J. Lopez-Bautist. Acknowledgements. List of authors and their addresses. PART 1: ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION The Chloroplast Division Machinery: Origin and Evolution, S.-Y. Miyagishim and H. Nakanishi Evolutionary History and Taxonomy of Red Algae, Yoon, H. S. et al. PART 2.: GENERAL STUDIES OF RHODOPHYTA Invasive and Alien Rhodophyta in the Mediterranean and Along the Israeli Shores, R. Hoffman and Z. Dubinsky The Extreme Environments of Porphyra, A Fast Growing and Edible Red Marine Macroalga, A. Israel Investigations on Reproductive Affinities in Red Algae, M. Kamiya and J.A. West Taxonomic Revisions of Freshwater Rhodophyta in Recent Years, S. Kumano Developments In Biotechnology Of Red Algae, C.R.K. Reddy et al PART 3: GENOMIC STUDIES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY Porphyra: Complex Life Histories in a Harsh Environment: P. umbilicalis, an intertidal red alga for genomic analysis, E. Gantt et al Utilizing Red Algae to Understand a Neurodegenerative Disease, M.S. Gentry et al Coordination of Nuclear and Plastid Gene Expression in Red Algae and Green Plants, M. Hanaoka and K. Tanaka Plastid Evolution and the Nuclear Genomic ‘Footprint’ of Red and Green Algal Endosymbionts, J.F. Hopkins and J.M. Archibald Red Microalgae: From Basic Know-How to Biotechnology, M. Lapidot et al Red Algal Genomics: A Synopsis, J.M. Lopez-Bautista Bangiophytes: from One Class to Six; Where Do We Go From Here? Moving The Bagnio-Phytes Into The Genomic Age, K. M.Müller et al. Genomic Contributions to Understanding the Evolution of Red Algal Plastids and Pigment Biosynthesis, B.A. Neilan How Have Genome Studies Improved Our Understanding of Organelle Evolution and Metabolism in Red Algae? J.A. Raven Computational Gene Prediction In Eukaryotic Genomes, M. Stanke PART 4: CYANIDIA Overview on Cyanidian Biology, J. Seckbach The Cyanidiales: Ecology, Biodiversity, and Biogeography, R.W. Castenholz and T.R. McDermott Mechanisms of Acido-Tolerance and Characteristcs of Photosystems in an Acido- and Thermophilic Red Alga, Cyanidium Caldarium, I. Enami et al Redox-Modification of Chloroplast Enzymes In Galdieria Sulphuraria: Trial-And-Error In Evolution Or Perfect Adaptation to Extreme Conditions? N. König et al The Thermo-Acidophilic Cyanidiophyceae (Cyanidiales), V. Reeb and D. Bhattacharya Chilean Cave Cyanidiu, A. Azúa-Bustos and R. Vicuña PART 5: BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY Low Molecular Weight Carbohydrates in Red Algae-An Ecophysiological and Biochemical Perspective, A. Eggert and U. Karsten Red Algal Defenses in the Genomics Age, F. Weinberger and P. Potin PART 6: OUTLOOK AND SUMMARY Summary, Final Comments and Conclusions, J. Seckbach and A. Israel Organism Index. Subject Index. Author Index.

Blurb

This volume covers the modern biology and the speciation of the red algae (Rhodophyta) from unicellular Cyanidia up to macrocellular sea weeds. A team of peer reviewers has reviewed all chapters. The chapters describe a range of topics from cave algae from Atacama, Chile, to genomes of red algae. Some chapters deal with the carbohydrates, physiological mechanisms, and realtionship between red algae and neurodegenerative disease. Other chapters deal with organellar - nuclear genes and taxonomic revision. Emphasis is placed upon the rhodophytan chloroplast, its origin, evolution, division machinery and pigmentation. The reader will find in this book lots of new information on the red algae.