Ecology, Ecosystems and Coastal Management

Environmental Genomics

A microbial species concept is crucial for interpreting the variation detected by genomics and environmental genomics among cultivated microorganisms and within natural microbial populations. Comparative genomic analyses of prokaryotic species as they are presently described and named have led to the provocative idea that prokaryotes may not form species as we think about them for plants and animals. There are good reasons to doubt whether presently recognized prokaryotic species are truly species. To achieve a better understanding of microbial species, we believe it is necessary to re-evaluate traditional approaches in light of evolutionary and ecological theory, consider that different microbial species may have evolved in different ways and integrate genomic, met genomic and genome-wide expression approaches with ecological and evolutionary theory. If individuals within microbial communities are found to be grouped into ecologically distinct, species-like populations, knowing about such populations should guide us to a better understanding of how genomic variation is linked to community function.