Microbial functional diversity and redundancy: moving forward.

Abstract

Microbial functional ecology is expanding as we can now measure the traits of wild microbes that affect ecosystem functioning. Here, we review techniques and advances that could be the bedrock for a unified framework to study microbial functions. These include our newfound access to environmental microbial genomes, collections of microbial traits, but also our ability to study microbes' distribution and expression. We then explore the technical, ecological, and evolutionary processes that could explain environmental patterns of microbial functional diversity and redundancy. Next, we suggest reconciling microbiology with biodiversity-ecosystem-functioning studies by experimentally testing the significance of microbial functional diversity and redundancy for the efficiency, resistance, and resilience of ecosystem processes. Such advances will aid in identifying state shifts and tipping points in microbiomes, enhancing our understanding of how and where will microbiomes guide Earth's biomes in the context of a changing planet.