Coral Reefs in the Microbial Seas

This book is a lovely, easy-to-read introduction in the exploration of what might be killing coral reefs. The scientists who do the exploring are also brought to life with affectionate, tongue-in-cheek anecdotes. Not surprisingly to this microbiologist, it's the microbes! But it's a little more complicated than that. Dr. Rohwer shows the connection between top predators like sharks and the smallest, seemingly most innocuous denizens of reefs. The lesson, simplified: don't let what you don't know kill you, or destroy nature's beauty.