Fundamentals of geobiology /

This book is far more than a textbook; its contents define the discipline of geobiology itself. Rather than a presentation of a series of reviews, the edited chapters read more like research proposals that emphasize new ideas and future directions. This style provides up-to-date bibliographic entry into a wide range of topics that will be useful to any researcher interested in subjects touched by the discipline. The book begins with reviews of the elemental cycles, followed by a discussion of biological physiology and its interaction with geology. Then several chapters address molecular-level interactions, including isotopes and biomarkers. The next chapter, "The Fossil Record of Microbial Life," is excellent. The following chapters cover life's geochemical origins and mineral evolution. The last four chapters represent a geobiological "march through time" in temporal order, from the Archean to the Anthropocene. This is an intense book that incorporates recent data and perspectives that are redefining how scientists view and understand both the history of life on Earth and the interface between geology and biology in the context of four billion years of planetary evolution. It would be this reviewer's "stranded on a desert island" selection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals. P. K. Strother Boston College