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A communal catalogue reveals Earth's multiscale microbial diversity
Luke R Thompson1,2,3, Jon G Sanders1, Daniel McDonald1
1Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, California, USA.
Nature
|November 2, 2017
Summary
This study introduces standardized methods for analyzing microbial communities, creating a global reference database. This enhances our understanding of microbial diversity across Earth.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Bioinformatics
- Ecology
Background:
- Limited understanding of microbial community structure despite growing awareness of microbial importance.
- Lack of standardized protocols and analytical frameworks hinders global inferences from microbial studies.
- Need for a unified approach to compare and integrate diverse microbial datasets.
Purpose of the Study:
- To present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples from the Earth Microbiome Project.
- To establish coordinated protocols and novel analytical methods for microbial diversity studies.
- To create a reference database and framework for global microbial diversity characterization.
Main Methods:
- Meta-analysis of microbial community samples.
- Utilized coordinated protocols from the Earth Microbiome Project.
- Employed exact sequences (not clustered operational taxonomic units) for ribosomal RNA gene analysis.
- Developed new analytical frameworks for cross-study comparisons.
Main Results:
- Enabled bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies.
- Facilitated exploration of microbial diversity patterns at an unprecedented scale.
- Generated a reference database providing global context for DNA sequence data.
Conclusions:
- Standardized protocols and exact sequence analysis overcome limitations in microbial community studies.
- The developed framework supports the integration of future studies for comprehensive microbial diversity characterization.
- Advances the global understanding of Earth's microbial diversity and structure.
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