Toward understanding, managing, and protecting microbial ecosystems.

Area of Science:

• Environmental microbiology
• Ecology
• Biodiversity science

Background:

• Microbial communities underpin Earth's biogeochemical cycles and nutrient cycling.
• Microbial diversity is overlooked in conservation efforts, unlike plant and animal diversity.
• Current understanding of microbial ecosystems is rudimentary, hindering conservation assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• Identify knowledge gaps in environmental microbiology.
• Assess the status of microbial diversity in relation to anthropogenic disturbance and climate change.
• Propose a path towards predictive microbial ecology.

Main Methods:

• Literature review and synthesis of current knowledge.
• Identification of key research areas and challenges in microbial ecology.
• Perspective on future research directions.

Main Results:

• Significant knowledge gaps exist in understanding microbial diversity and ecosystem functions.
• The assumption that microbial diversity is not threatened may be a misconception.
• Current understanding is primarily descriptive, lacking predictive power.

Conclusions:

• Bridging knowledge gaps is essential for effective microbial conservation.
• Transitioning from descriptive to predictive microbial ecology is a critical goal.
• Further research is needed to comprehend and protect microbial ecosystems.