Ecophysiology of microbial respiration

Gary M. King, University of Maine

Abstract

© Oxford University Press 2005. All rights reserved. This chapter summarizes the physiology of bacterial respiration with an emphasis on topics relevant for understanding processes at a cellular level, as well as for understanding the larger-scale implications of respiration within aquatic ecosystems. The analysis begins with definitions and examples of respiratory systems, and reviews essential aspects of their biochemistry. Modes of respiration and aspects of their dynamics are surveyed next, with a brief consideration of the organisms involved, their distribution, and constraints on their activity.