Abiotic Transformation of Unsaturated Lipids and Hydrocarbons in Senescent Phytoplanktonic Cells -- Bacterial and Archaeal Lipids -- Biosynthesis of the plant cuticle -- Chemistry of Volatile Organic Compounds in the Atmosphere -- Coal Bed Methane - Geological, Geochemical and Microbial Factors -- Composition and Properties of Petroleum -- Cuticular Lipids and Pheromones of Arthropods -- Effects of Dispersants in Oil Spill Remediation -- Environmental and Economic Implications of the Biogeochemistry of Oil Sands Bitumens -- Factors Controlling Carbon and Hydrogen Isotope Fractionation during Biosynthesis of Lipids by Phototrophic Organisms -- Formation of Organic-rich Sediments and Sedimentary Rocks -- Gas Hydrates as Unconventional Hydrocarbon Resources -- Gas Hydrates: Formation, Structures and Properties -- History of Life from the Hydrocarbon Fossil Record -- Hydrocarbons and Lipids in the Pedosphere -- Hydrocarbons and Lipids: An Introduction to Structure, Physicochemical Properties and Natural Occurrence -- Hydrothermal Petroleum -- Intact Polar Lipids as Life Markers in Geological Habitats -- Introduction to Oil Chemistry and Properties Related to Oil Spills -- Lessons from the 2010 Deepwater Horizon Accident in the Gulf of Mexico -- Lipidomic Analysis of Lower Organisms -- Lipids of Geochemical Interest in Microalgae -- Marine Cold Seeps: Background and Recent Advances -- Methane Carbon Cycling in the Past: Insights from Hydrocarbon and Lipid Biomarkers -- Methods of Hydrocarbon Analysis -- Migration and Mixing of Hydrocarbons in Sedimentary Basins -- Mud Volcano Biogeochemistry -- Oil and Gas Shales -- Organic Matter in the Hydrosphere -- Organic Sulphur Compounds -- Pathways of Carbon Assimilation and their Impact on the Carbon Isotopic Signature of Organic Matter -- Petroleomics -- Plant Cuticular Waxes: Composition, Function and Interactions with Microorganisms -- Secondary Microbial Gas -- Stable Isotopes in Understanding Origin and Degradation Processes of Hydrocarbons and Petroleum -- The Biogeochemical Methane Cycle -- Thermogenic Formation of Hydrocarbons in Sedimentary Basins.-.

This book describes the structural features and properties of important types of hydrocarbons and lipids and gives an overview of their analytical characterization in biological and environmental matrices. It covers the occurrence, biosynthesis and biological functions of these compound types in diverse organisms including bacteria and archaea, algae, higher plants and arthropods. It examines their distribution in the geosphere and fundamental processes controlling the fate of fossil organic matter. Finally, it addresses important aspects of their environmental chemistry and transfer processes between different compartments of bio- and geosphere. Hydrocarbons and lipids comprise extremely diverse organic compounds that play fundamental roles in biosphere and geosphere. They represent important functional components in all living organisms and constitute a major fraction of fossil organic matter in sedimentary systems. All chapters are written by renowned experts in the respective fields.