Main description:

r ed Algae in Genome Age book most people reading this book have childhood memories about being enthralled at the beach with those rare and mysterious living forms we knew as seaweeds. We were fascinated at that time by their range of red hues and textures, and most of all, their exotic beauty. t o a scientist, red algae represent much more than apparent features. t heir complex forms have attracted morphologists for centuries; their intricate life cycles have brought more than one surprise to plant biologists familiar only with ferns and fowering plants; their unusual tastes have been appreciated for mill- nia, and their valuable chemical constituents have been exploited for nearly as long, most recently by biotech companies; their diversity in marine, freshwater, and t- restrial environments has offered centuries of engaging entertainment for botanists eager to arrange them in orderly classifcation systems; still, the red algae continue to teach us how many more challenges need to be overcome in order to understand their biodiversity, biological functions, and evolutionary histories.

Contents:

Introduction, J. Seckbach and D.J. Chapman. Foreword, J. Lopez-Bautist.
Acknowledgements. List of authors and their addresses.
PART 1: ORIGIN AND EVOLUTION
The Chloroplast Division Machinery: Origin and Evolution, S.-Y. Miyagishim and H. Nakanishi
Evolutionary History and Taxonomy of Red Algae, Yoon, H. S. et al.
PART 2.: GENERAL STUDIES OF RHODOPHYTA
Invasive and Alien Rhodophyta in the Mediterranean and Along the Israeli Shores, R. Hoffman and Z. Dubinsky
The Extreme Environments of Porphyra, A Fast Growing and Edible Red Marine Macroalga, A. Israel
Investigations on Reproductive Affinities in Red Algae, M. Kamiya and J.A. West
Taxonomic Revisions of Freshwater Rhodophyta in Recent Years, S. Kumano
Developments In Biotechnology Of Red Algae, C.R.K. Reddy et al
PART 3: GENOMIC STUDIES AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Porphyra: Complex Life Histories in a Harsh Environment: P. umbilicalis, an intertidal red alga for genomic analysis, E. Gantt et al
Utilizing Red Algae to Understand a Neurodegenerative Disease, M.S. Gentry et al
Coordination of Nuclear and Plastid Gene Expression in Red Algae and Green Plants, M. Hanaoka and K. Tanaka
Plastid Evolution and the Nuclear Genomic 'Footprint' of Red and Green Algal Endosymbionts, J.F. Hopkins and J.M. Archibald
Red Microalgae: From Basic Know-How to Biotechnology, M. Lapidot et al
Red Algal Genomics: A Synopsis, J.M. Lopez-Bautista
Bangiophytes: from One Class to Six; Where Do We Go From Here? Moving The Bagnio-Phytes Into The Genomic Age, K. M.Muller et al.
Genomic Contributions to Understanding the Evolution of Red Algal Plastids and Pigment Biosynthesis, B.A. Neilan
How Have Genome Studies Improved Our Understanding of Organelle Evolution and Metabolism in Red Algae? J.A. Raven
Computational Gene Prediction In Eukaryotic Genomes, M. Stanke
PART 4: CYANIDIA
Overview on Cyanidian Biology, J. Seckbach
The Cyanidiales: Ecology, Biodiversity, and Biogeography, R.W. Castenholz and T.R. McDermott
Mechanisms of Acido-Tolerance and Characteristcs of Photosystems in an Acido- and Thermophilic Red Alga, Cyanidium Caldarium, I. Enami et al
Redox-Modification of Chloroplast Enzymes In Galdieria Sulphuraria: Trial-And-Error In Evolution Or Perfect Adaptation to Extreme Conditions? N. Koenig et al
The Thermo-Acidophilic Cyanidiophyceae (Cyanidiales), V. Reeb and D. Bhattacharya
Chilean Cave Cyanidiu, A. Azua-Bustos and R. Vicuna
PART 5: BIOCHEMISTRY AND PHYSIOLOGY
Low Molecular Weight Carbohydrates in Red Algae-An Ecophysiological and Biochemical Perspective, A. Eggert and U. Karsten
Red Algal Defenses in the Genomics Age, F. Weinberger and P. Potin
PART 6: OUTLOOK AND SUMMARY
Summary, Final Comments and Conclusions, J. Seckbach and A. Israel
Organism Index. Subject Index. Author Index.