Microbial Metagenomics: Current Advances in Investigating Microbial Ecology and Population Dynamics
Shreya Ghosh, Alok Prasad Das
Abstract
This chapter explores an overview of the different applications of metagenomics and sheds light on its current advances in investigating microbial ecology and population dynamics. The Pace group were the first to use 16S rRNA analysis for microbial phylogenetic profiling in early nineties. Metagenomics-based phylogenetic profiling is straightforward because the 16S rRNA genes can be easily recognized and the huge number of their databases allows precise phylogenetic assignments. The term was mainly used for referring to the functional analysis of mixed environmental DNA samples. There are two noteworthy works that defined the most widely accepted meaning of metagenomics: one describing the analysis of an acid mine drainage surface biofilms, and the other describing a Sargasso Sea community. Metagenomics is a revolutionary concept in the aspect of studying microbial biodiversity, their adaptation to the ecological niches and their evolution. Metaproteomics deals with the protein profile analysis of microbial communities, leading to a better understanding of protein functions.