Introduction to Methods for Collection, Detection, and Evaluation of Microbes

Microbes, including bacteria and plankton, play important roles in aquatic ecosystems, particularly marine ecosystems. Techniques to detect and evaluate marine microbes are necessary for the understanding and conservation of the ecosystems, and to better understand microbial corrosion of artificial structures built in the marine environment. Fundamental techniques to detect and evaluate microbes have been developed from laboratory experiments using cultured model microorganisms, such as Escherichia coli. Such laboratory-based techniques are often insufficient in the marine environment because of interference from organisms other than target microbes of each research, and from organic and inorganic compounds in the environment. Precise evaluation of microbial communities under such circumstances demands techniques with greater sensitivity and specificity than those of the laboratory-based approaches. This chapter considers more precise and sensitive techniques than the conventional techniques for the collection, detection, and evaluation of microbes. These techniques can also help experts and professional readers achieve practical evaluation and control of microbes in complex conditions such as marine environments.

Keywords: Aqueous ecosystems, Marine ecosystems, Microorganisms.