A Field Guide to Bacteria by Betsey Dexter Dyer. First off, I read this at the recommendation of another student who used to attend the college which owns the press that printed this book. But whatever the suspicious connections may be, I found this to be rather informative. Okay, so maybe Dyer too enthusiastically lumps archaea with the prokaryotes--but I'll cut her some slack. This guide was meant to be a practical yet fun primer and not another dry textbook.
In my mind, a field guide to bacteria wouldn't be complete without an entire section about pathogenic bacteria, but this may reflect more of my own biases than the author's own intent. So besides a couple passing phrases and one table, the pathogens are relegated into one corner. As Dyer remarks, a medical microbiology textbook would probably be a better resource. Another reason she gives for not including pathogens is that identification would require a bunch of equipment that a regular person wouldn't have access to. And the lay person is obviously the target audience.
Dyer calls the reader the "amateur naturalist", a more genteel term for the microbe counterpart of the bird watcher. (Incidentally, this book wouldn't look too out of place with all the other books about bird watching or shell collecting or star gazing.) The goal of all these microbe observations is not to peer at tiny animucles swimming about on a microscope slide (although exercises with the light microscope are included) but to see them in all their macroscopic finery in what Dyer terms as "field marks."
A more apt description would be "a conversational and almost colloquial text on observing bacterial signs in the environment". For example, a field mark of extremophiles living in acidic hot springs would be yellow-orange mineral deposits. Salt-loving bacteria on salt flats would color salt crystals pink. But if you can't make it out to those extreme places for one reason or another, there's always your back yard. Alpha proteobacteria cling to the roots of legumes and create gall-like swellings in trees. Gamma and delta proteobacteria are found in the sludge of ponds participating in the use and recylcing of sulfur. Gram-positive bacteria make holes in cheese and give flavor to beers. And yes, even floating poop is a sign that bacteria (specifically methanogens) are present. Just don't hold a flaming torch to it unless you're pretty sure you won't set anything else on fire.
In all, a very amusing read. I think the suggestions for experiments and field trips would be invaluable to teachers. One experiment highly touted by the book is a Winogradsky column. This is basically a closed ecosystem of microbes that continually recycle sulfur. If you use a clear tube or jar for the column, you'd be able to observe the different bacteria in the system as different colored layers. I've never done one myself although keeping a jar of pet bacteria on the windowsill does hold considerable appeal. But I guess I'll have to wait till the spring thaw to get some pond sludge.
