Microbial Essentialism

Download Microbial Essentialism PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Elsevier
ISBN 13 : 0443139318
Total Pages : 623 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (431 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Microbial Essentialism by : Raghvendra Pratap Singh

Download or read book Microbial Essentialism written by Raghvendra Pratap Singh and published by Elsevier. This book was released on 2024-03-21 with total page 623 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microbial Essentialism: An Industrial Prospective refers to properties specifically possessed by microbes such as secretion of metabolites which make them unique and can be employed by industries. These microorganisms can be commercially exploited for beneficial purposes such as the production of whole microbial cells or their products for direct use or as starting raw material in the manufacture of other commercial products which can contribute to large-scale and profit-oriented businesses. Microbial Essentialism: An Industrial Prospective reviews the newest techniques, approaches, and options in the use of microorganisms for the manufacture of industrially important products such as pharmaceuticals, industrial enzymes, chemicals, proteins, foods and beverages, and fuels. It covers fundamental principles of established and innovative industrial microbiology and biotechnology processes and products. It also discusses industrial microorganisms and the technology required for large-scale cultivation and isolation of fermentation products. Covers key aspects of microbial physiology, exploring the versatility of microorganisms and their diverse metabolic activities and products Provides methods and various traditional and novel applications of microorganisms to industrial processes Contributed by a multidisciplinary group of experts who offer not only a thorough evaluation of the primary literature, but also invaluable first-hand experience in industrial microbiology and biotechnology

Endemic

Download Endemic PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer
ISBN 13 : 1137521414
Total Pages : 300 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (375 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Endemic by : Kari Nixon

Download or read book Endemic written by Kari Nixon and published by Springer. This book was released on 2016-09-01 with total page 300 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book develops a new multimodal theoretical model of contagion for interdisciplinary scholars, featuring contributions from influential scholars spanning the fields of medical humanities, philosophy, political science, media studies, technoculture, literature, and bioethics. Exploring the nexus of contagion's metaphorical and material aspects, this volume contends that contagiousness in its digital, metaphorical, and biological forms is a pervasively endemic condition in our contemporary moment. The chapters explore both endemicity itself and how epidemic discourse has become endemic to processes of social construction. Designed to simultaneously prime those new to the discourse of humanistic perspectives of contagion, complicate issues of interest to seasoned scholars of science and technology studies, and add new topics for debate and inquiry in the field of bioethics, Endemic will be of wide interest for researchers and educators.

Biological Individuality

Download Biological Individuality PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022644659X
Total Pages : 368 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (264 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Biological Individuality by : Scott Lidgard

Download or read book Biological Individuality written by Scott Lidgard and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2017-05-24 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Individuals are things that everybody knows—or thinks they do. Yet even scholars who practice or analyze the biological sciences often cannot agree on what an individual is and why. One reason for this disagreement is that the many important biological individuality concepts serve very different purposes—defining, classifying, or explaining living structure, function, interaction, persistence, or evolution. Indeed, as the contributors to Biological Individuality reveal, nature is too messy for simple definitions of this concept, organisms too quirky in the diverse ways they reproduce, function, and interact, and human ideas about individuality too fraught with philosophical and historical meaning. Bringing together biologists, historians, and philosophers, this book provides a multifaceted exploration of biological individuality that identifies leading and less familiar perceptions of individuality both past and present, what they are good for, and in what contexts. Biological practice and theory recognize individuals at myriad levels of organization, from genes to organisms to symbiotic systems. We depend on these notions of individuality to address theoretical questions about multilevel natural selection and Darwinian fitness; to illuminate empirical questions about development, function, and ecology; to ground philosophical questions about the nature of organisms and causation; and to probe historical and cultural circumstances that resonate with parallel questions about the nature of society. Charting an interdisciplinary research agenda that broadens the frameworks in which biological individuality is discussed, this book makes clear that in the realm of the individual, there is not and should not be a direct path from biological paradigms based on model organisms through to philosophical generalization and historical reification.

The Arts of the Microbial World

Download The Arts of the Microbial World PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022681288X
Total Pages : 334 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (268 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Arts of the Microbial World by : Victoria Lee

Download or read book The Arts of the Microbial World written by Victoria Lee and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2021-12-01 with total page 334 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first in-depth study of Japanese fermentation science in the twentieth century. The Arts of the Microbial World explores the significance of fermentation phenomena, both as life processes and as technologies, in Japanese scientific culture. Victoria Lee’s careful study documents how Japanese scientists and skilled workers sought to use the microbe’s natural processes to create new products, from soy-sauce mold starters to MSG, vitamins to statins. In traditional brewing houses as well as in the food, fine chemical, and pharmaceutical industries across Japan, they showcased their ability to deal with the enormous sensitivity and variety of the microbial world. Charting developments in fermentation science from the turn of the twentieth century, when Japan was an industrializing country on the periphery of the world economy, to 1980 when it had emerged as a global technological and economic power, Lee highlights the role of indigenous techniques in modern science as it took shape in Japan. In doing so, she reveals how knowledge of microbes lay at the heart of some of Japan’s most prominent technological breakthroughs in the global economy. At a moment when twenty-first-century developments in the fields of antibiotic resistance, the microbiome, and green chemistry suggest that the traditional eradication-based approach to the microbial world is unsustainable, twentieth-century Japanese microbiology provides a new, broader vantage for understanding and managing microbial interactions with society.

Philosophy of Microbiology

Download Philosophy of Microbiology PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139992147
Total Pages : 281 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (399 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Philosophy of Microbiology by : Maureen O'Malley

Download or read book Philosophy of Microbiology written by Maureen O'Malley and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-08-28 with total page 281 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Microbes and microbiology are seldom encountered in philosophical accounts of the life sciences. Although microbiology is a well-established science and microbes the basis of life on this planet, neither the organisms nor the science have been seen as philosophically significant. This book will change that. It fills a major gap in the philosophy of biology by examining central philosophical issues in microbiology. Topics are drawn from evolutionary microbiology, microbial ecology, and microbial classification. These discussions are aimed at philosophers and scientists who wish to gain insight into the basic philosophical issues of microbiology.

New Visions of Nature

Download New Visions of Nature PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9048126118
Total Pages : 285 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (481 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis New Visions of Nature by : Martin A. M. Drenthen

Download or read book New Visions of Nature written by Martin A. M. Drenthen and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2009-07-23 with total page 285 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "New Visions of Nature" focuses on the emergence of these new visions of complex nature in three domains. The first selection of essays reflects public visions of nature, that is, nature as it is experienced, encountered, and instrumentalized by diverse publics. The second selection zooms in on micro nature and explores the world of contemporary genomics. The final section returns to the macro world and discusses the ethics of place in present-day landscape philosophy and environmental ethics. The contributions to this volume explore perceptual and conceptual boundaries between the human and the natural, or between an ‘out there’ and ‘in here.’ They attempt to specify how nature has been publicly and genomically constructed, known and described through metaphors and re-envisioned in terms of landscape and place. By parsing out and rendering explicit these divergent views, the volume asks for a re-thinking of our relationship with nature.

Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere

Download Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 3030635120
Total Pages : 684 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (36 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere by : Christon J. Hurst

Download or read book Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere written by Christon J. Hurst and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-05-01 with total page 684 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This collection of essays discusses fascinating aspects of the concept that microbes are at the root of all ecosystems. The content is divided into seven parts, the first of those emphasizes that microbes not only were the starting point, but sustain the rest of the biosphere and shows how life evolves through a perpetual struggle for habitats and niches. Part II explains the ways in which microbial life persists in some of the most extreme environments, while Part III presents our understanding of the core aspects of microbial metabolism. Part IV examines the duality of the microbial world, acknowledging that life exists as a balance between certain processes that we perceive as being environmentally supportive and others that seem environmentally destructive. In turn, Part V discusses basic aspects of microbial symbioses, including interactions with other microorganisms, plants and animals. The concept of microbial symbiosis as a driving force in evolution is covered in Part VI. In closing, Part VII explores the adventure of microbiological research, including some reminiscences from and perspectives on the lives and careers of microbe hunters. Given its mixture of science and philosophy, the book will appeal to scientists and advanced students of microbiology, evolution and ecology alike.

Microbial Inhabitants of Humans

Download Microbial Inhabitants of Humans PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 9780521841580
Total Pages : 480 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (415 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Microbial Inhabitants of Humans by : Michael Wilson

Download or read book Microbial Inhabitants of Humans written by Michael Wilson and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2005 with total page 480 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This advanced textbook provides a unique overview of the microbial communities (normal indigenous microbiota) inhabiting those regions of the human body that are exposed to the external environment, including the skin, eyes, oral cavity and the respiratory, urinary, reproductive and gastrointestinal tracts. In order to understand why particular organisms are able to colonise an anatomical region and why the resulting microbial community has a particular composition, an ecological approach is essential. Consequently, the key anatomical and physiological characteristics of each body site are described throughout the book. The crucial roles of the indigenous microbiota in protecting against exogenous pathogens, regulating the development of our immune system and mucosae, and providing nutrients are also discussed. The involvement of these organisms in infections of healthy and debilitated individuals are discussed throughout and methods of manipulating the composition of the indigenous microbiota for the benefit of human health are also described.

The Social Biology of Microbial Communities

Download The Social Biology of Microbial Communities PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309264324
Total Pages : 633 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Social Biology of Microbial Communities by : Institute of Medicine

Download or read book The Social Biology of Microbial Communities written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2013-01-10 with total page 633 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Beginning with the germ theory of disease in the 19th century and extending through most of the 20th century, microbes were believed to live their lives as solitary, unicellular, disease-causing organisms . This perception stemmed from the focus of most investigators on organisms that could be grown in the laboratory as cellular monocultures, often dispersed in liquid, and under ambient conditions of temperature, lighting, and humidity. Most such inquiries were designed to identify microbial pathogens by satisfying Koch's postulates.3 This pathogen-centric approach to the study of microorganisms produced a metaphorical "war" against these microbial invaders waged with antibiotic therapies, while simultaneously obscuring the dynamic relationships that exist among and between host organisms and their associated microorganisms-only a tiny fraction of which act as pathogens. Despite their obvious importance, very little is actually known about the processes and factors that influence the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities. Gaining this knowledge will require a seismic shift away from the study of individual microbes in isolation to inquiries into the nature of diverse and often complex microbial communities, the forces that shape them, and their relationships with other communities and organisms, including their multicellular hosts. On March 6 and 7, 2012, the Institute of Medicine's (IOM's) Forum on Microbial Threats hosted a public workshop to explore the emerging science of the "social biology" of microbial communities. Workshop presentations and discussions embraced a wide spectrum of topics, experimental systems, and theoretical perspectives representative of the current, multifaceted exploration of the microbial frontier. Participants discussed ecological, evolutionary, and genetic factors contributing to the assembly, function, and stability of microbial communities; how microbial communities adapt and respond to environmental stimuli; theoretical and experimental approaches to advance this nascent field; and potential applications of knowledge gained from the study of microbial communities for the improvement of human, animal, plant, and ecosystem health and toward a deeper understanding of microbial diversity and evolution. The Social Biology of Microbial Communities: Workshop Summary further explains the happenings of the workshop.

Processes of Life

Download Processes of Life PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0191629480
Total Pages : pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (916 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Processes of Life by : John Dupré

Download or read book Processes of Life written by John Dupré and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2012-01-26 with total page pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John Dupré explores recent revolutionary developments in biology and considers their relevance for our understanding of human nature and human society. Epigenetics and related areas of molecular biology have eroded the exceptional status of the gene and presented the genome as fully interactive with the rest of the cell. Developmental systems theory provides a space for a vision of evolution that takes full account of the fundamental importance of developmental processes. Dupré shows the importance of microbiology for a proper understanding of the living world, and reveals how it subverts such basic biological assumptions as the organisation of biological kinds on a branching tree of life, and the simple traditional conception of the biological organism. These topics are considered in the context of a view of science as realistically grounded in the natural order, but at the same time as pluralistic and inextricably integrated within a social and normative context. The volume includes a section that recapitulates and expands some of the author's general views on science; a section addressing a range of topics in biology, including the significance of genomics, the nature of the organism and the current status of evolutionary theory; and a section exploring some implications of contemporary biology for humans, for example on the reality or unreality of human races, and the plasticity of human nature.

Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease

Download Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : National Academies Press
ISBN 13 : 0309290651
Total Pages : 548 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (92 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease by : Institute of Medicine

Download or read book Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease written by Institute of Medicine and published by National Academies Press. This book was released on 2014-02-18 with total page 548 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Individually and collectively, resident microbes play important roles in host health and survival. Shaping and shaped by their host environments, these microorganisms form intricate communities that are in a state of dynamic equilibrium. This ecologic and dynamic view of host-microbe interactions is rapidly redefining our view of health and disease. It is now accepted that the vast majority of microbes are, for the most part, not intrinsically harmful, but rather become established as persistent, co-adapted colonists in equilibrium with their environment, providing useful goods and services to their hosts while deriving benefits from these host associations. Disruption of such alliances may have consequences for host health, and investigations in a wide variety of organisms have begun to illuminate the complex and dynamic network of interaction - across the spectrum of hosts, microbes, and environmental niches - that influence the formation, function, and stability of host-associated microbial communities. Microbial Ecology in States of Health and Disease is the summary of a workshop convened by the Institute of Medicine's Forum on Microbial Threats in March 2013 to explore the scientific and therapeutic implications of microbial ecology in states of health and disease. Participants explored host-microbe interactions in humans, animals, and plants; emerging insights into how microbes may influence the development and maintenance of states of health and disease; the effects of environmental change(s) on the formation, function, and stability of microbial communities; and research challenges and opportunities for this emerging field of inquiry.

The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health

Download The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN 13 : 0393244415
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (932 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health by : David R. Montgomery

Download or read book The Hidden Half of Nature: The Microbial Roots of Life and Health written by David R. Montgomery and published by W. W. Norton & Company. This book was released on 2015-11-16 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Sure to become a game-changing guide to the future of good food and healthy landscapes." —Dan Barber, chef and author of The Third Plate Prepare to set aside what you think you know about yourself and microbes. The Hidden Half of Nature reveals why good health—for people and for plants—depends on Earth’s smallest creatures. Restoring life to their barren yard and recovering from a health crisis, David R. Montgomery and Anne Biklé discover astounding parallels between the botanical world and our own bodies. From garden to gut, they show why cultivating beneficial microbiomes holds the key to transforming agriculture and medicine.

Microbial Ecology

Download Microbial Ecology PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1351091433
Total Pages : 402 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (51 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Microbial Ecology by : Allen I. Laskin

Download or read book Microbial Ecology written by Allen I. Laskin and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-01-18 with total page 402 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The essays that comprise this anthology of the best in ecology from Critical Reviews in Microbiology describe principles and practices in considerable detail. There is no attempt, however at a balanced presentation of the different groups of microorganisms or their activities. Likewise, some areas of current concern are considered cursorily and others not at all. Nevertheless, the book is an interesting and informative introduction to a growing endeavour. The combined experience and insight of the contributing authors will surely aid the reader to develop an ecological attitude, and to better appreciate microorganisms as determinants of environmental quality.

Microbiomes

Download Microbiomes PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Springer Nature
ISBN 13 : 303065317X
Total Pages : 439 pages
Book Rating : 4.0/5 (36 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Microbiomes by : Eugene Rosenberg

Download or read book Microbiomes written by Eugene Rosenberg and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2021-03-02 with total page 439 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines an important paradigm shift in biology: Plants and animals, traditionally viewed as individuals, are now considered to be complex systems and host to a plethora of microorganisms. After first presenting historical aspects of microbiota research, bacterial compositions of individual microbiomes and the critical analysis of current methods, the book discusses how microbial communities inside the human body are profoundly affected by numerous factors, such as macro- and micro-nutrients, physical exercise, antibiotics, gender and age. As described by current research, the author highlights how microbiomes contribute to the fitness of the host by providing nutrients, inhibiting pathogens, aiding in the storage of fat during pregnancy, and contributing to development and behavior. The author not only focusses on prokaryotic components in microbiomes, but also addresses single-cell eukaryotes and viruses. This follow-up to the successful book The Hologenome Concept: Human, Animal and Plant Microbiota, published in 2013, provides a contemporary overview of microbiomes. It appeals to anyone working in the life sciences and biomedicine.

Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture

Download Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : John Wiley & Sons
ISBN 13 : 1119762464
Total Pages : 596 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (197 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture by : Frans J. de Bruijn

Download or read book Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation, and Agriculture written by Frans J. de Bruijn and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2022-09-21 with total page 596 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Discover the positive and helpful contributions made by microorganisms to various areas of human health, food preservation and production, biotechnology, industry, environmental clean up and sustainable agriculture. In Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation and Agriculture, a team of distinguished researchers delivers a comprehensive and eye-opening look at the positive side of bacteria and other microbes. The book explores the important and positive roles played by microorganisms. Divided into five sections, Good Microbes examines the use of microorganisms and the microbiome in human health, food production, industrial use, bioremediation, and sustainable agriculture. Coverage spans from food allergies, skin disorders, microbial food preservation and fermentation of various beverages and food products, also from an ethnical point of view to beneficial use of microbes in biotechnology, industry, bioeconomy, environmental remediation such as resource recovery, microbial-based environmental clean-up, plant-microbe interactions in biorestauration, biological control of plant diseases, and biological nitrogen fixation. Provides basic knowledge on bacterial biology, biochemistry, genetics and genomics of beneficial microbes Includes practical discussions of microbial biotechnology, including the contribution of microbial biotechnology to sustainable development goals Features a comprehensive introduction and extensive index to facilitate the search for key terms. Perfect for scientists, researchers and anyone with an interest in beneficial microbes, Good Microbes in Medicine, Food Production, Biotechnology, Bioremediation and Agriculture is also an indispensable resource for microbiology graduate students, applied microbiologists and policy makers.

Species

Download Species PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : CRC Press
ISBN 13 : 1351677993
Total Pages : 443 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (516 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Species by : John S. Wilkins

Download or read book Species written by John S. Wilkins and published by CRC Press. This book was released on 2018-01-29 with total page 443 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Over time the complex idea of "species" has evolved, yet its meaning is far from resolved. This comprehensive work is a fresh look at an idea central to the field of biology by tracing its history from antiquity to today. Species is a benchmark exploration and clarification of a concept fundamental to the past, present, and future of the natural sciences. In this edition, a section is added on the debate over species since the time of the New Synthesis, and brings the book up to date. A section on recent philosophical debates over species has also been added. This edition is better suited non-specialists in philosophy, so that it will be of greater use for scientists wishing to understand how the notion came to be that living organisms form species. Key Selling Features: Covers the philosophical and historical development of the concept of "species" Documents that variation was recognized by pre-Darwinian scholars Includes a section on the debates since the time of the New Synthesis Better suited to non-philosophers

Microbia

Download Microbia PDF Online Free

Author :
Publisher : Rodale Books
ISBN 13 : 1623367352
Total Pages : 290 pages
Book Rating : 4.6/5 (233 download)

DOWNLOAD NOW!


Book Synopsis Microbia by : Eugenia Bone

Download or read book Microbia written by Eugenia Bone and published by Rodale Books. This book was released on 2018-04-03 with total page 290 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From Eugenia Bone, the critically acclaimed author of Mycophilia, comes an approachable, highly personal look at our complex relationship with the microbial world. While researching her book about mushrooms, Eugenia Bone became fascinated with microbes—those life forms that are too small to see without a microscope. Specifically, she wanted to understand the microbes that lived inside other organisms like plants and people. But as she began reading books, scholarly articles, blogs, and even attending an online course in an attempt to grasp the microbiology, she quickly realized she couldn’t do it alone. That’s why she enrolled at Columbia University to study Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology. Her stories about being a middle-aged mom embedded in undergrad college life are spot-on and hilarious. But more profoundly, when Bone went back to school she learned that biology is a vast conspiracy of microbes. Microbes invented living and as a result they are part of every aspect of every living thing. This popular science book takes the layman on a broad survey of the role of microbes in nature and illustrates their importance to the existence of everything: atmosphere, soil, plants, and us.