Dynamics in the microbial cytome-single cell analytics in natural systems

Natural microbial systems are highly dynamic due to the short generation times of the comprised organisms and their rapid and distinct reactions to changing environments. Microbial flow cytometry approaches are capable techniques for following such community dynamics in a fast and inexpensive way. Newly developed bioinformatics tools not only enable quantification of single cell dynamics, they also make nearly on-line evaluation of community attributes possible, enable interpretation of community trends, and reveal possible constraints that influence community structure and function. Microbial flow cytometry is poised to make the microbial cytome accessible for ambitious ecosystem studies. Functions of cells within the cytome can be determined either by cell sorting in combination with other omics-approaches of choice or by simple correlation analyses.