Table Of ContentAdvances in Environmental Microbiology 9
Christon J. Hurst
Editor
The Biological
Role of a Virus
Advances in Environmental Microbiology
Volume 9
SeriesEditor
ChristonJ.Hurst
Cincinnati,Ohio
USA
and
UniversidaddelValle
SantiagodeCali,Valle
Colombia
This book series addresses the questions of which microbes, microbial genes and
geneproductsarepresentatparticularplacesandtimes,aswellastheenvironmental
transportandsurvivalcapabilitiesofmicrobes.Theauthorsdefinethewaysinwhich
microorganisms interact chemically as well as physically with their surroundings,
including microbial actions that change our planet’s geochemistry. Advances in
Environmental Microbiology facilitates an understanding of how microbes have
contributedtowardscoevolutionaryprocessesandaddressesmicrobialcontributions
to the successional colonization of environmental locations. The explorations of
topicsincludeamicrobiologicalperspectiveofpublichealth,animalhusbandryand
agricultural issues, including consideration of the fact that infectious diseases are
often either acquired from environmental reservoirs or transmitted through the
environment,plusanexplanationofhowmicrobialestablishmenteitheronorwithin
a host results in transformation of the colonization site into a microbially modified
environment.Thisseriesalsowillincludebothmicrobialpestcontrolandmicrobial
diversity,alongwithinsightsintoindustrialproductionprocessesthatareconnected
toenvironmentalmicrobiology.
Moreinformationaboutthisseriesathttps://link.springer.com/bookseries/11961
Christon J. Hurst
Editor
The Biological Role of a
Virus
Editor
ChristonJ.Hurst
Cincinnati,Ohio,USA
UniversidaddelValle
SantiagodeCali,Valle,Colombia
ISSN2366-3324 ISSN2366-3332 (electronic)
AdvancesinEnvironmentalMicrobiology
ISBN978-3-030-85393-8 ISBN978-3-030-85395-2 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-85395-2
©SpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG2022
Thisworkissubjecttocopyright.AllrightsarereservedbythePublisher,whetherthewholeorpartofthe
materialisconcerned,specificallytherightsoftranslation,reprinting,reuseofillustrations,recitation,
broadcasting,reproductiononmicrofilmsorinanyotherphysicalway,andtransmissionorinformation
storageandretrieval,electronicadaptation,computersoftware,orbysimilarordissimilarmethodology
nowknownorhereafterdeveloped.
Theuseofgeneraldescriptivenames,registerednames,trademarks,servicemarks,etc.inthispublication
doesnotimply,evenintheabsenceofaspecificstatement,thatsuchnamesareexemptfromtherelevant
protectivelawsandregulationsandthereforefreeforgeneraluse.
The publisher, the authors, and the editorsare safeto assume that the adviceand informationin this
bookarebelievedtobetrueandaccurateatthedateofpublication.Neitherthepublishernortheauthorsor
theeditorsgiveawarranty,expressedorimplied,withrespecttothematerialcontainedhereinorforany
errorsoromissionsthatmayhavebeenmade.Thepublisherremainsneutralwithregardtojurisdictional
claimsinpublishedmapsandinstitutionalaffiliations.
Cover illustration: “Volvox reimagined” is a montage image created in 2015 and is being used with
permissionoftheartist,ChristonJ.Hurst.Thoseimagesincorporatedintothismontagewere:centerimage
“Aspergillusflavus”(author:HosseinMirhendi,imagesuppliedbyandusedwithauthor’spermission);
clockwisefromupperright“Micrasterias”(author:RogelioMorenoGill,imagesuppliedbyandusedwith
author’s permission), “BrownGiantKelp3600ppx” (author: FASTILY, Creative Commons Attribution
Share Alike 3.0 Unported license), “Stumpfungus” (author: Ecornerdropshop, public domain image),
“LethariavulpinaJHollingercrop”(author:JasonHollinger,CreativeCommonsAttribution-ShareAlike
3.0Unportedlicense),“Phytoplankton-thefoundationoftheoceanicfoodchain”,(author:NOAAMESA
Project,publicdomainimage),“Spirogyracell”(author:JasperNance,CreativeCommonsAttribution-
ShareAlike3.0Unportedlicense),“Morelasci”(author:PeterG.Werner,CreativeCommonsAttribution-
ShareAlike3.0Unportedlicense).
ThisSpringerimprintispublishedbytheregisteredcompanySpringerNatureSwitzerlandAG.
Theregisteredcompanyaddressis:Gewerbestrasse11,6330Cham,Switzerland
“Mother”.Thisimageisaself-portraitmadebyNataliaOsiatynska,12daysintomotherhoodwith
herinfantsonAnker.ItappearsherecourtesyofNatalia.Mammalsrelyuponusageoftheir
endogenousRetroviridaeinordertoinitiatethedevelopmentofaplacenta.
Dedication
I met Bill Benton in 1980 shortly after I had
begun doing research for the United States
Environmental Protection Agency in
Cincinnati, Ohio. When I told Billthat he was
the person whom I most wanted tomeet at the
EPA, he replied with surprise “Why?”. My
responsewasthathisnamehadbeenonevery
publication from that Cincinnati group. Bill
represented a kindly mixture of intelligence,
pride, andhumility. Iwish thatthisworld had
more people like him.
Bill had a lot of good life stories to tell! He
had experienced a difficult childhood and
determined that he wanted to enter the US
Army by attending the United States Military
Academy in West Point, New York.
Unfortunately, for the year when he applied,
Bill ended up being the second person in line
just below the cutoff level. He might have
reapplied the following year, but Bill instead
decided upon joining the US Army for
infantry. Much to his disappointment Bill was
transferredtotheUSAirForcewherehethen
proudly served for 20 years as a medical
corpsman. During his tours of duty in the
United States, the United Kingdom, and
Europe, Bill spent some of his spare time
learning to farm. He cropped asparagus,
which I think he enjoyed. The year that he
spent raising tobacco was, from his
perspective, not worth the financial gain
considering the many required hours of hand
laborplusthefactthatharvestingandsorting
tobacco leaves covers your hands with plant
resin. Perhaps his most interesting adventure
had been managing a British pub along with
his wife Doris for a few years while Bill was
stationedinEngland.Afterheretiredfromthe
US Air Force, Bill started working as a
laboratory technician for the US Public
Health Service. Eventually, the Public Health
Service transferred him to the Environmental
Protection Agency in Cincinnati where he
became a cell culture technician.
A few years after I had begun working for the
EPA, I was assigned to be the leader of a
research group that included Bill. At that
point,Ihad10yearsoflaboratoryexperience
compared to Bill’s more than 35 years of
laboratory experience. It also was interesting
andabitdauntingformetohaveatechnician
withsomuchmoreintelligencethanIpossess.
Bill’s kindness and humility never let me feel
bad about my limitations. I do remember one
time when I walked into his laboratory and
told him that I had an idea for a new project.
Billlistened,thenreachedintooneofhisdesk
drawers and pulled out a stack of perhaps
12 photocopied journal articles. I do not now
rememberwhattheprojectideahadbeen,but
Billhandedthearticlestomeandsaid“These
willgetyou startedonit.”Billwasamazingly
far ahead of me on that idea, and he also was
well ahead of me for many other research
ideas. One of Bill’s ideas was to try isolating
viruses with two host cell lines grown in
cocultivation and that worked very well.
The level of formal education that we achieve
in life depends in large part upon the
encouragement and expectations which our
families demonstrate and foster inside of us
during our childhood years. Bill merited a
doctorate, but unfortunately had not been
raisedwith expectations thatheshouldtryfor
that level of formal education. Otherwise, if
allowed better expectations, then Bill more
rightfully would have been my supervisor and
Ihonorably wouldhavereportedmyresearch
to him.
IalsorememberonetimewhenBillmentioned
to me that he never understood the 1960s. My
answer was that he should listen to the song
“Eleanor Rigby” by The Beatles. A few days
later he happily told me of hearing the song
over the radio in his automobile while he was
driving to work. Bill was not buried along
with his name as suggested by the lyrics of
that song, because Bill’s name will always
remain recorded in the pages of scientific
literature. He certainly remains recorded in
the memories lodged within my mind.
Bill’s laboratory equipment cart always
displayed a State of Ohio temporary
automobile license tag on which Bill had
written the date of his eligibility for Civil
Service retirement. He eventually did retire
from the Civil Service, and then enjoyed
spending many happy years with Doris. They
watched the birds come to a feeding station
behind their house and Bill worked at his
golfing skills.
I feel very honored to have known Bill and to
have worked with him. Appreciatively, I
dedicate my work on this book to my friend
andcolleagueWilliamH.Benton.Whatmight
Bill’s opinion be of this dedication? His
humility might lead him to say that he
appreciatedthehonorbutsomehowcouldnot
feelasthoughheeverhadbeenthatspecialas
either a person or a scientist. Bill, you clearly
were that special and I thank you for having
been present in my life.
WilliamH.Benton1928–2000
