Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Microbial Classification System01:24

Microbial Classification System

1.8K
Classification is the process of organizing organisms into hierarchically inclusive groups based on their phenotypic similarities or evolutionary relationships. A species comprises one or more strains, and closely related species are grouped into genera. Genera are further classified into families, families into orders, orders into classes, and so forth, up to the domain level, which is the broadest taxonomic rank derived from a combination of phenotypic and genotypic data.The nomenclature of...
1.8K
Introduction to Microbial Ecology01:28

Introduction to Microbial Ecology

546
Microbial ecology examines the complex web of interactions and diversity among microorganisms within various ecosystems. This field seeks to understand how microbial populations adapt to and influence their environments and how these interactions shape broader ecological processes. Microbes are integral to ecosystem function, participating in nutrient cycling, energy flow, and the maintenance of environmental homeostasis.An ecosystem represents a dynamic interaction between living organisms...
546
Microbial Phylogeny01:28

Microbial Phylogeny

88
Understanding the evolutionary relationships among microorganisms is fundamental to microbial ecology and taxonomy. Phylogenetic trees are essential tools for inferring these relationships, relying primarily on comparative analyses of molecular sequences such as DNA, RNA, or proteins. In microbial studies, these trees typically depict the evolutionary paths of diverse bacterial and archaeal species by mapping genetic differences accumulated over time.Phylogenetic trees are composed of tips,...
88
Applications of Molecular Taxonomy01:20

Applications of Molecular Taxonomy

705
Molecular taxonomy has revolutionized the understanding and classification of bacteria, providing precise insights into their diversity, evolutionary relationships, and ecological roles. By utilizing molecular techniques such as DNA sequencing and fingerprinting, researchers have made significant strides in various fields related to bacterial studies.Resolving Taxonomic AmbiguitiesMolecular taxonomy has been instrumental in distinguishing closely related bacterial species initially thought to...
705
Modern Molecular Taxonomy01:29

Modern Molecular Taxonomy

836
Advancements in molecular biology have revolutionized the identification and characterization of bacteria, with multiple methods leveraging DNA sequencing for enhanced precision. As sequencing technologies improve and costs decline, these approaches are increasingly used in clinical, environmental, and evolutionary studies.Multilocus Sequence Typing (MLST) examines several housekeeping genes, essential chromosomal genes encoding cellular functions, to distinguish strains. Approximately...
836
Methods to Assess Microbial Communities01:19

Methods to Assess Microbial Communities

60
Microbial communities, comprising bacteria, archaea, and eukaryotic microorganisms, inhabit diverse ecosystems and play crucial roles in environmental and biological processes. Their diversity is defined by three main parameters: species richness (the number of distinct species), species abundance (the relative quantity of each species), and species evenness (how uniformly individual species are distributed in various locations). These factors together shape the structure and ecological balance...
60

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Early-life acquisition of antimicrobial resistance genes and strain-level genomic concordance across maternal-infant compartments.

Infection, genetics and evolution : journal of molecular epidemiology and evolutionary genetics in infectious diseases·2026
Same author

Nutrient enrichment and connectivity jointly shape bacterioplankton taxonomic and functional diversity.

FEMS microbiology letters·2026
Same author

Genome-wide sweeps create ecological units in the human gut microbiome.

Nature·2026
Same author

Species-specific prophage induction by ciprofloxacin in human gut metagenomes.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Hi-C sequencing deciphers phage and plasmid host networks in wastewater biofilms.

Environmental science and ecotechnology·2026
Same author

Phosphorothioate DNA modification by BREX type 4 systems in the human gut microbiome.

Nature communications·2026

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 2, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
11:22

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Published on: October 15, 2019

29.4K

Ordering microbial diversity into ecologically and genetically cohesive units.

B Jesse Shapiro1, Martin F Polz2

  • 1Département de Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC H3C 3J7, Canada.

Trends in Microbiology
|March 18, 2014
PubMed
Summary

Microbial diversity is best understood through gene flow and selection, shaping genetic and ecological units. Genomics reveals how these factors create cohesive microbial populations, even with barriers to gene flow.

Keywords:
ecological differentiationgene flowmosaic sympatric speciationpopulation genomicsreverse ecologyselective sweeps

More Related Videos

Exploring the Root Microbiome: Extracting Bacterial Community Data from the Soil, Rhizosphere, and Root Endosphere
09:55

Exploring the Root Microbiome: Extracting Bacterial Community Data from the Soil, Rhizosphere, and Root Endosphere

Published on: May 2, 2018

25.8K
Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing
07:21

Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing

Published on: August 25, 2018

12.2K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 2, 2026

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing
11:22

Microbiota Analysis Using Two-step PCR and Next-generation 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Published on: October 15, 2019

29.4K
Exploring the Root Microbiome: Extracting Bacterial Community Data from the Soil, Rhizosphere, and Root Endosphere
09:55

Exploring the Root Microbiome: Extracting Bacterial Community Data from the Soil, Rhizosphere, and Root Endosphere

Published on: May 2, 2018

25.8K
Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing
07:21

Tick Microbiome Characterization by Next-Generation 16S rRNA Amplicon Sequencing

Published on: August 25, 2018

12.2K

Area of Science:

  • Microbial Ecology
  • Evolutionary Biology
  • Genomics

Background:

  • Understanding microbial diversity requires integrating genetic and ecological perspectives.
  • Previous studies often analyzed genetic and ecological units separately.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To propose a framework for viewing microbial diversity through the lens of gene flow and selection.
  • To investigate the overlap between ecological and genetic units in microbial populations.
  • To explore the role of genomics in understanding microbial population structure.

Main Methods:

  • Evolutionary modeling to simulate population dynamics.
  • Analysis of genomic and metagenomic data from microbial populations.
  • Integration of gene flow and selection principles.

Main Results:

  • Gene flow and selection shape distinct units of genetic similarity and ecological function.
  • Frequent recombination leads to gene-specific sweeps, while strong selection causes genome-wide sweeps.
  • Microgeographic separation and ecological tradeoffs can create barriers to gene flow, promoting population cohesion.
  • (Meta)genomic data support the formation of overlapping ecological and genotypic units.

Conclusions:

  • Microbial populations form cohesive units when ecological and genetic factors align.
  • A 'reverse ecology' approach using genomic data is effective for defining ecological units.
  • This framework advances our understanding of microbial diversity and population structure.