Beyond Metagenomics: Integration of Complementary Approaches for the Study of Microbial Communities
Andrés Cubillos-Ruiz, Howard Junca, Sandra Baena, Ivonne Venegas and María Mercedes Zambrano
from: Metagenomics: Theory, Methods and Applications (Edited by: Diana Marco). Caister Academic Press, U.K. (2010)
Abstract
Advances in genomics have had a great impact on the field of microbial ecology. Metagenomics in particular holds great promise for accessing and characterizing microbial communities. However, the high diversity and level of complexity present in microbial communities represent an obstacle to understanding these assemblages given the current approaches. The integration of microbial community structure with function, taking into account uncultured microbes in diverse environments, remains particularly challenging. The anticipated increase in metagenomic data available in the future will require high-throughput methods for data management and analysis of these large and complex microbial communities. Integration of complementing technologies like microarrays, high throughput sequencing and bioinformatics and of novel tools and "meta" approaches, such as metaproteomics, metatranscriptomics and meta-metabolomics, will be required to understand the role of microbes in different ecological habitats. In spite of the many challenges, the field offers promising perspectives for achieving a more comprehensive view of microbial communities and how microorganisms adapt to and function within their ecosystems read more ...
