Microbial growth rates in nature.

INTRODUCTION ........................................................... Commitment to Nature..................................................... What is Nature? ............................................................ POPULATION PROBLEMS .............................................. ASSESSMENT OF MICROBIAL NUMBERS OR MASS......................... DEFINING BOUNDARIES OF THE HABITAT ............................... ARTIFICIAL SUBSTRATES ............................................. USE OF THE MICROSCOPE IN NATURE ................................ MEASUREMENT OF GROWTH RATE OF SINGLE ORGANISMS............ GROWTH RATES OF DEVELOPING MICROCOLONIES........ GROWTH RATES OF FILAMENTOUS ORGANISMS ..................... METHODS BASED ON ANALYSIS OF THE CELL-DIVISION CYCLE........ Labeled Thymidine Methods............................................... GROWTH RATES OF PROCARYOTES AS MEASURED BY THYMIDINE AUTORADIOGRAPHY Ecological Approximations for Labeling Experiments.......................... Rate of Appearance of Unlabeled Cells......................................... GENETIC METHODS .................................................... METHODS ESPECIALLY SUITED TO STEADY-STATE POPULATIONS...... INOCULUM SIZE: RATE OF EFFECT..................................... CONCLUDING STATEMENT ............................................ LITERATURE CITED.....................................................