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Linking microbial community structure and microbial processes: an empirical and conceptual overview
Raven L Bier1, Emily S Bernhardt2, Claudia M Boot3
1Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA raven.bier@gmail.com.
FEMS Microbiology Ecology
|September 16, 2015
Summary
Researchers analyzed microbial ecology studies and found that while many papers show links between microbial community structure and processes, few statistically test these connections. When tested, these structure-process links are often significant.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Environmental Microbiology
- Ecology
Background:
- A key objective in microbial ecology is linking microbial community structure to ecological processes.
- Despite its importance, significant conceptual and methodological challenges hinder the explicit evaluation of these structure-process relationships in research.
- Understanding these links is crucial for predicting microbial ecosystem functions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the frequency of statistically tested links between microbial community structure and processes in published literature.
- To investigate whether experimental approaches and analytical techniques influence the detection of these structure-process links.
- To assess the significance and commonalities of structure-process links when statistically evaluated.
Main Methods:
- A systematic literature review was conducted, analyzing 148 experimental studies published between 2009 and 2013 across nine scientific journals.
- Studies measuring both microbial community structure and microbial processes in response to manipulations were included.
- Data on the statistical testing of structure-process links, methods used, and significance were extracted and analyzed.
Main Results:
- While 112 of 148 studies reported responses in both structure and process, only 38 statistically tested for a link.
- Of the tested links, 75% were statistically significant, commonly using Spearman or Pearson's correlation.
- No specific method for characterizing structure or processes consistently yielded significant links, and process responses were often detected before structural changes.
Conclusions:
- Few microbial ecology studies statistically test the links between community structure and processes, despite their frequent significance when examined.
- When tested, structure-process links are often significant but lack commonalities in the specific structures, processes, or methodologies employed.
- Future research should focus on robust statistical testing to strengthen the evidence base for microbial structure-process relationships.
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