The Use of Metagenomic Approaches to Analyze Changes in Microbial Communities
Year: 2013
Type: review
Abstract: Microbes are the most abundant biological entities found in the biosphere. Identification and measurement of microorganisms (including viruses, bacteria, archaea, fungi, and protists) in the biosphere cannot be readily achieved due to limitations in culturing methods. A non-culture based approach, called "metagenomics", was developed that enabled researchers to comprehensively analyse microbial communities in different ecosystems. In this study, we highlight recent advances in the field of metagenomics for analyzing microbial communities in different ecosystems ranging from oceans to the human microbiome. Developments in several bioinformatics approaches are also discussed in context of microbial metagenomics that include taxonomic systems, sequence databases, and sequence-alignment tools. In summary, we provide a snapshot for the recent advances in metagenomics approach for analyzing changes in the microbial communities in different ecosystems.
Source: Microbiology Insights
DOI: 10.4137/mbi.s10819
Authors: Girish Neelakanta, Hameeda Sultana
Institution: Old Dominion University
Language: English
Subfield: Molecular Biology
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $1,500
OpenAlex ID: W2039980038