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This book provides an up-to-date overview of the microbiology, biogeochemistry, and ecology of marine hydrocarbon seeps, a globally occurring habitat for specialized microorganisms and invertebrates that depend on natural hydrocarbon seepage as a food and energy source. Prominent examples include the briny hydrocarbon seeps and mud volcanoes on the continental slope of the Gulf of Mexico and in the Mediterranean, the hydrothermally heated hydrocarbon seeps at Guaymas Basin (Mexico), and the oil and gas seeps off the coast of California and in the Gulf of Mexico. Featuring topical chapters by leading researchers in the area, the book describes geological settings, chemical characteristics of hydrocarbon seepage, hydrocarbon-dependent microbial populations, and ecosystem structure and trophic networks at hydrocarbon seeps. Further, it also discusses applied aspects such as bioremediation potential (oil-degrading microorganisms).

In recent years it has become increasingly clear that chemical interactions play a fundamental role in aquatic habitats and have far-reaching evolutionary and ecological consequences. A plethora of studies have shown that aquatic organisms from most taxa and functional groups respond to minute concentrations of chemical substances released by other organisms. However, our knowledge of this'chemical network'is still negligible. Chemical interactions can be divided into two larger sub-areas based on the function of the chemical substance. First, there are interactions where chemical substances are toxic to other organisms and are used as a defence against consumers (including both herbivores and predators) or a weapon against competitors (allelopathy). Second, chemical substances may be used as a source for information of the environment; for example: how can I find the optimal habitat, the best food, the nicest partner, and avoid being eaten? Aquatic organisms are able to detect and respond to extremely low concentrations of chemical cues to answer all these questions. The book aims at connecting these intriguing chemical interactions with traditional knowledge of organism interactions. Chemical Ecology of Aquatic Systems covers a wide range of studies, both plant and animal, from different geographic regions and habitats - pelagic as well as benthic. Most of the chemical interactions are similar in freshwater and marine habitats and this book therefore strives at integrating work on both systems.