Image credit: Ilse Blumentals
Overview: Microbes are everywhere and are involved in so many activities that profoundly affect us and the rest of the biosphere. So they are really important and we need to know about them, if we are to navigate our lives and make the right decisions. But who are they? Well, by definition they are small. But that neither does them justice nor helps us. In fact, they are much more diverse than all the animals in the animal kingdom. So let’s get acquainted with our microbial friends, because the majority of them really are our friends!
Creation of the TFs is a work in progress: those already available are indicated by titles that are live links. Titles of those still in the pipeline are shown for context.
(For vignettes of some of the star actors in these stories, see the MicroStars, MicroPredators, MicroWeirdos, MicroWeapons and Mighty Machines of Minute Organisms Portrait Galleries)
Microbes: the basics
- What are microbes?
- Genomes and Genomics
- Structure and composition of microbes and cellular biosynthesis
- What do microbes eat?
- Microbial organelles and compartments
- Breathing without oxygen
- Osmoregulation
- What it is like to be very small?
- Microbial movement and dispersal
Microbial diversity
- Microbial diversity-bacteria
- Microbial diversity–archaea
- Microbial diversity-Microalgae
- Protists
- Micro-nematodes
- Extremophilic microorganisms
- Hyperthermophiles
- Extremophilic fungi
- Plant viruses
Microbial interactions
- Symbioses
- Microbial predator:prey interactions
- Microbial food webs
- Bacterial gene exchange and mobile genetic elements
- Microbial weaponry
- The fight for iron
- Social behaviour
Microbial reproduction