Microbial Community Ecology of the Adriatic Sea

This book provides an overview of scientific activities of the scientists from Laboratory for Marine Microbiology (Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries in Split, Croatia) and collaborators during the last 15 years, which are presented through the number of case studies performed in different marine habitats of the Adriatic Sea. The main topics of the book are: (1) Microbial community structure which provides an overview of the main components of the microbial community; (2) Microbial food web which is focused on the functional aspect of microbial communities, which includes studying the interactions and the carbon flux through the microbial food web; (3) Extreme habitats which presents the research of microbial communities in the two extreme habitats anchialine caves and eutrophic meromictic saline lake; and (4) the final chapter which is devoted to microbial food web as an indicator of marine environment status in the perspective of Marine Strategy Framework Directive, as one of the most important legal documents of the European Community in the field of marine ecosystems protection.