Prokaryotic functional gene diversity in the sunlit ocean: Stumbling in the dark.

Prokaryotic functional gene diversity in the sunlit ocean: Stumbling in the dark.
Curr Opin Microbiol. 2015 Apr 6;25:33-39
Authors: Ferrera I, Sebastian M, Acinas SG, Gasol JM
Abstract
Prokaryotes are extremely abundant in the ocean where they drive biogeochemical cycles. The recent development and application of -omics techniques has provided an astonishing amount of information revealing the existence of a vast diversity of functional genes and a large heterogeneity within each gene. The big challenge for microbial ecologists is now to understand the ecological relevance of this variability for ecosystem functioning, a question that remains largely understudied. This brief review highlights some of the latest advances in the study of the diversity of biogeochemically relevant functional genes in the sunlit ocean.
PMID: 25863027 [PubMed - as supplied by publisher]

Source: Current Opinion in Microbiology - April 6, 2015 Category: Microbiology Authors: Ferrera I, Sebastian M, Acinas SG, Gasol JM Tags: Curr Opin Microbiol Source Type: research