The Prokaryotes is a comprehensive, multi-authored, peer reviewed reference work on Bacteria and Achaea. This fourth edition of The Prokaryotes is organized to cover all taxonomic diversity, using the family level to delineate chapters.

Different from other resources, this new Springer product includes not only taxonomy, but also prokaryotic biology and technology of taxa in a broad context. Technological aspects highlight the usefulness of prokaryotes in processes and products, including biocontrol agents and as genetics tools.

The content of the expanded fourth edition is divided into two parts: Part 1 contains review chapters dealing with the most important general concepts in molecular, applied and general prokaryote biology; Part 2 describes the known properties of specific taxonomic groups.

Two completely new sections have been added to Part 1: bacterial communities and human bacteriology. The bacterial communities section reflects the growing realization that studies on pure cultures of bacteria have led to an incomplete picture of the microbial world for two fundamental reasons: the vast majority of bacteria in soil, water and associated with biological tissues are currently not culturable, and that an understanding of microbial ecology requires knowledge on how different bacterial species interact with each other in their natural environment. The new section on human microbiology deals with bacteria associated with healthy humans and bacterial pathogenesis. Each of the major human diseases caused by bacteria is reviewed, from identifying the pathogens by classical clinical and non-culturing techniques to the biochemical mechanisms of the disease process.

The 4th edition of The Prokaryotes is the most complete resource on the biology of prokaryotes.

The following volumes are published consecutively within the 4th Edition:

Prokaryotic Biology and Symbiotic Associations

Prokaryotic Communities and Ecophysiology

Prokaryotic Physiology and Biochemistry

Applied Bacteriology and Biotechnology

Human Microbiology

Actinobacteria

Firmicutes

Alphaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria

Gammaproteobacteria

Deltaproteobacteria and Epsilonproteobacteria

Other Major Lineages of Bacteria and the Archaea

Section: Archaea: Acidilobaceae

Archaeoglobi
Caldisphaeraceae
Crenarchaeota
Desulfurococcaceae
Euryarchaeota
Ferroplasmaceae
Fervidococaceae
Halobacteriaceae
Methanobacteria
Methanocaldococcaceae
Methanocellaceae, Family
Methanococcaceae
Methanocorpusculaceae
Methanomicrobiaceae
Methanomicrococcaceae
Methanopyraceae
Methanosarcinaceae
Methanospirillaceae
Nanoarchaeota
Picrophilaceae
Pyrodictiaceae
Sulfolobaceae
Thaumarchaeota
The Archaea: A Personal Overview of the Formative Years
Thermococci
Thermofilaceae
Thermoplasmataceae
Thermoproteaceae
Section: Bacteria: Acidobacteriaceae, phylum
Aquificaceae, phylum
Armatimonadetes
Bacteroidaceae, phylum Bacteroidetes
Brachyspiraceae
Brevinemataceae
Caldisericaceae (phylum "Caldiserica")
Chitinophagaceae
Chlamydiaceae, phylum
Chlorobiaceae, phylum
Chloroflexaceae, phylum
Chrysiogenaceae, phylum
Holophagaceae, class
Cryomorphaceae.-Cyclobacteriaceae
Cytophagaceae
Deferribacteraceae, phylum
Deinococcaceae, phylum Deinococcus-Thermus
Desulfurobacteriaceae, phylum
Dictyoglomaceae (phylum "Dictyoglomi")
Elusimicrobiaceae (phylum "Elusimicrobia")
Fibrobacteraceae, phylum
Flammeovirgaceae
Flavobacteriaceae
Hydrogenothermaceae, phylum
Ignavibacteriaceae
Lentisphaerae, phylum Lentisphaeraceae
Leptospiraceae
Marinilabiaceae
Nitrospira, Nitrospiraceae, phylum "Nitrospira"
Opitutaceae
Parachlamydiaceae
Gemmatimonadetes, phylum
Synergitetes, phylum
Planctomycetes, phylum
Porphyromonadaceae
Prevotellaceae
Prochlorococcaceae, phylum Cyanobacteria (plus more)
Puniceicoccaceae
Rhodothermaceae
Rikenellaceae
Rubritaleaceae
Saprospiraceae
Simkaniaceae
Sphingobacteriaceae
Spirochaetaceae, phylum
Thermaceae
Thermotogae, phylum
Verrucomicrobiaceae, phylum
Victivallaceae
Waddliaceae.