300178 VO Microbial communities of selected ecosystems II (2006S)

ECTS-Points: 1.5
Symbiotic associations represent the basis of life on earth. Plant and
animal cells originate from an ancient symbiosis between two prokaryotes;
even today there is merely no organism, which does not live in symbiosis
with another organism. This lecture series will provide an overview on our
current knowledge about the significance and the wide distribution of
symbiosis in nature, with an emphasis on symbiotic associations between
bacteria and animals or plants. Selected examples will serve to illustrate
common mechanisms of interaction between pro- and eukaryotes, and to create
an understanding of symbiosis in its manifold occurrences, ranging from
commensalism over mutualism to parasitism and pathogenicity. This lecture
series will demonstrate how the application of modern molecular tools has
revolutionized our perception of the biology of symbiotic associations and
will also highlight medical and environmental applications developed on the
basis of this new knowledge.