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

Methods to Assess Microbial Communities01:19

Methods to Assess Microbial Communities

58
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...
58
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

834
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...
834
Introduction to Microbial Ecology01:28

Introduction to Microbial Ecology

449
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...
449
Methods to Assess Microbial Populations01:30

Methods to Assess Microbial Populations

99
Assessing microbial populations is crucial for understanding microbial roles in health, ecology, and industry. Various complementary techniques—both culture-based and molecular—enable detailed analysis of microbial abundance, diversity, and function.Viable Plate CountThe viable plate count is a traditional culture-based method used to estimate the number of living microbes in a sample. After serial dilution, the sample is spread onto nutrient agar plates. Each viable cell forms a...
99
Phylogenetic Species Concept in Microbiology01:22

Phylogenetic Species Concept in Microbiology

203
The phylogenetic species concept (PSC) is a framework used to delineate species based on evolutionary relationships, emphasizing shared ancestry and diagnosable genetic traits. Unlike morphological or biological species concepts, the PSC is particularly advantageous for microbial taxonomy, where traditional reproductive or phenotypic criteria often fall short due to the prevalence of asexual reproduction, minimal morphological differentiation, and widespread horizontal gene transfer among...
203

You might also read

Related Articles

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

Sort by
Same author

Salinity-driven niche partitioning of aquatic viruses in one of Europe's largest estuaries.

Applied and environmental microbiology·2026
Same author

Diversity of antibiotic resistance genes increases in urbanized lakes: A multi-tool screening.

iScience·2026
Same author

Persistent soil resistome expansion following bacterial inoculation despite successful antibiotic bioremediation.

Journal of hazardous materials·2026
Same author

Transforming the American Academy of Microbiology for social good through scientific portfolios.

mBio·2026
Same author

Metabolic inequality in microbial communities.

bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology·2026
Same author

Correction: PFK-158 enhances colistin efficacy against resistant <i>Edwardsiella piscicida</i> through synergistic mechanisms.

Frontiers in veterinary science·2026
Same journal

The response of microbial necromass C and its contribution to SOC to vinasse biochar based on a pot experiment.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Rhodamine B/gold nanoparticles-coloaded UiO-66 as a novel probe for highly sensitive and dual-mode detection of Potato virus S in field samples.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Adaptive reprogramming of carbon-nitrogen metabolism in <i>Klebsiella aerogenes</i> under nitrate-rich conditions.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Predatory <i>Myxococcus fulvus</i> strain KS01 confers biocontrol and growth promotion in cotton through multifaceted antifungal mechanisms.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Understanding the influence of sward type and dairy cow breed on enteric methane emissions through investigation of the rumen microbiome.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
Same journal

Morpho-cultural, pathogenic, and molecular diversity, and population structure analysis of <i>Bipolaris sorokiniana</i> causing spot blotch disease in wheat.

Frontiers in microbiology·2026
See all related articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments
10:31

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Published on: July 24, 2018

58.3K

Trait-based approaches for understanding microbial biodiversity and ecosystem functioning.

Sascha Krause1, Xavier Le Roux2, Pascal A Niklaus3

  • 1Department of Microbial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW) Wageningen, Netherlands ; Department of Chemical Engineering, University of Washington Seattle, WA, USA.

Frontiers in Microbiology
|June 7, 2014
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Trait-based approaches enhance understanding of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) in microbial ecology. Integrating eco-physiology and molecular tools offers a promising framework for microbial BEF research.

Keywords:
ecological theoryecosystem functionfunctional traitsmicrobial diversitystudy designs

More Related Videos

Empirical, Metagenomic, and Computational Techniques Illuminate the Mechanisms by which Fungicides Compromise Bee Health
08:36

Empirical, Metagenomic, and Computational Techniques Illuminate the Mechanisms by which Fungicides Compromise Bee Health

Published on: October 9, 2017

9.4K
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

29.3K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 28, 2026

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments
10:31

Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments

Published on: July 24, 2018

58.3K
Empirical, Metagenomic, and Computational Techniques Illuminate the Mechanisms by which Fungicides Compromise Bee Health
08:36

Empirical, Metagenomic, and Computational Techniques Illuminate the Mechanisms by which Fungicides Compromise Bee Health

Published on: October 9, 2017

9.4K
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

29.3K

Area of Science:

  • Ecology
  • Microbial Ecology

Background:

  • Biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research has shifted from taxonomy to function.
  • Trait-based approaches are increasingly applied to understand biodiversity's role in ecosystem processes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • Highlight studies on microbial BEF integrating trait-based approaches.
  • Explore challenges and opportunities in microbial BEF research.
  • Propose a framework to link microbial diversity to ecosystem processes.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing studies on microbial BEF.
  • Emphasis on trait-based approaches in microbial ecology.
  • Discussion of integrating eco-physiological and molecular tools.

Main Results:

  • Microbial community characterization using gene phylogenies often fails to resolve functional traits.
  • Existing microbial BEF studies frequently have inadequate experimental designs.
  • Trait-based frameworks are crucial for mechanistic understanding.

Conclusions:

  • Combining eco-physiology with molecular tools in a trait-based framework strengthens the link between microbial diversity and ecosystem processes.
  • Trait-based approaches offer a promising framework for advancing microbial BEF research.
  • This approach can generate systematic principles in microbial and general ecology.