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The Spatial Distribution of Microbes in the Environment pp 1–30Cite as

Introduction

The importance of microbial distribution in space and spatial scale to microbial ecology

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Microorganisms are very small, and their individual effects are equally miniscule. Their effects on ecosystems, however, are felt at the landscape scale. To understand how their aggregate activities are arranged on these landscapes, microbes must be studied at a variety of scales, from the microscopic to the regional, and those scales must eventually be reconciled. Keywords: bacteria, spatial distribution, community analysis, multiscale, interaction scale

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Virginia Commonwealth University, 23284, Richmond, VA, USA

    Rima B. Franklin

  2. Laboratory of Microbial Ecology, University of Virginia, 22904-4123, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Aaron L. Mills

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  1. Rima B. Franklin
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  1. Virginia Commonwealth University, 23284, Richmond, VA, USA

    Rima B. Franklin

  2. University of Virginia, 22904-4123, Charlottesville, VA, USA

    Aaron L. Mills

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Franklin, R.B., Mills, A.L. (2007). Introduction. In: Franklin, R.B., Mills, A.L. (eds) The Spatial Distribution of Microbes in the Environment. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4020-6216-2_1

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