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Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 23, 2026

Establishing Stable Binary Cultures of Symbiotic Saccharibacteria from the Oral Cavity

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Published on: April 13, 2021

The rare bacterial biosphere.

Carlos Pedrós-Alió¹

¹Institut de Ciències del Mar, CSIC, 08003 Barcelona, Spain. cpedros@icm.csic.es

Annual Review of Marine Science

|March 31, 2012

Summary

High-throughput sequencing reveals the vast "rare biosphere" of bacteria, previously undetectable. This breakthrough allows for estimating total bacterial diversity and exploring novel genes.

Area of Science:

Microbiology
Ecology
Genomics

Background:

Most microbial communities are dominated by a few abundant species, with many rare species being previously undetectable.
Conventional molecular techniques and culturing methods fail to identify the majority of bacteria in natural environments.
The rare biosphere, comprising species with low individual numbers, has remained largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the previously inaccessible rare biosphere of bacteria.
To estimate the total number of bacterial taxa in marine environments.
To understand the ecological mechanisms supporting rare species and discover novel genes.

Main Methods:

Utilizing high-throughput sequencing technologies to detect rare bacterial species.

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Last Updated: May 23, 2026

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Isolation, Propagation, and Identification of Bacterial Species with Hydrocarbon Metabolizing Properties from Aquatic Habitats

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Published on: December 7, 2021

Analyzing vast datasets generated by rapid and cost-effective sequencing.

Developing new hypotheses and ecological models to explain species coexistence.

Main Results:

High-throughput sequencing provides unprecedented access to rare bacterial taxa.
The study opens avenues for estimating global bacterial diversity and addressing the "everything is everywhere" debate.
Research into the rare biosphere facilitates the discovery of novel genes with potential applications.

Conclusions:

The rare biosphere holds significant ecological and biotechnological potential.
Advancements in sequencing technology are revolutionizing our understanding of microbial diversity.
Further research is needed to elucidate the ecological roles and evolutionary significance of rare bacterial species.