title: In-depth analyses of marine microbial community genomics.
abstract: Marine microbes have evolved to live along extreme environmental gradients, whether at the microscale, in proximity to particles or over the entire water column. Using community genomics, DeLong et al. highlight deduced biological differences that result from open-ocean depth gradients. The power of the large-insert libraries used is that both phylogeny and function can be inferred from the genetic material obtained--even for uncultured microbes. Together with complete genomes of marine isolates and advances in physiology and ecology, this study paves the way for ecosystems biology approaches to dynamics and controls of marine microbial populations.
authors.affiliation: Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science, University of Miami, 4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, FL 33149, USA. aworden@rsmas.miami.edu
authors.forename: Alexandra Z
authors.initials: AZ
authors.lastname: Worden
authors.forename: Marie L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Cuvelier
authors.forename: Douglas H
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Bartlett
mesh_terms: D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D005827:Genetics, Microbial / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D023281:Genomics / Q000379:methods* / Q000639:trends; D012623:Seawater / Q000382:microbiology*