What is the extent of prokaryotic diversity?

Curtis, TP; Head, IM; Lunn, M; Woodcock, S; Schloss, PD; Sloan, WT

What is the extent of prokaryotic diversity?

Curtis, TP Head, IM Lunn, M Woodcock, S

Schloss, PD Sloan, WT

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Publication Type:: Journal Article
Citation:: Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2006, 361 (1475), pp. 2023 - 2037
Issue Date:: 2006-11-29

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Field	Value	Language
dc.contributor.author	Curtis, TP	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Head, IM	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Lunn, M	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Woodcock, S https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4903-3164	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Schloss, PD	en_US
dc.contributor.author	Sloan, WT	en_US
dc.date.issued	2006-11-29	en_US
dc.identifier.citation	Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 2006, 361 (1475), pp. 2023 - 2037	en_US
dc.identifier.issn	0962-8436	en_US
dc.identifier.uri	http://hdl.handle.net/10453/13390
dc.description.abstract	The extent of microbial diversity is an intrinsically fascinating subject of profound practical importance. The term 'diversity' may allude to the number of taxa or species richness as well as their relative abundance. There is uncertainty about both, primarily because sample sizes are too small. Non-parametric diversity estimators make gross underestimates if used with small sample sizes on unevenly distributed communities. One can make richness estimates over many scales using small samples by assuming a species/taxa-abundance distribution. However, no one knows what the underlying taxa-abundance distributions are for bacterial communities. Latterly, diversity has been estimated by fitting data from gene clone libraries and extrapolating from this to taxa-abundance curves to estimate richness. However, since sample sizes are small, we cannot be sure that such samples are representative of the community from which they were drawn. It is however possible to formulate, and calibrate, models that predict the diversity of local communities and of samples drawn from that local community. The calibration of such models suggests that migration rates are small and decrease as the community gets larger. The preliminary predictions of the model are qualitatively consistent with the patterns seen in clone libraries in 'real life'. The validation of this model is also confounded by small sample sizes. However, if such models were properly validated, they could form invaluable tools for the prediction of microbial diversity and a basis for the systematic exploration of microbial diversity on the planet. © 2006 The Royal Society.	en_US
dc.relation.ispartof	Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences	en_US
dc.relation.isbasedon	10.1098/rstb.2006.1921	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Bacteria	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Archaea	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Ecosystem	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Population Dynamics	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Species Specificity	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Gene Library	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Models, Biological	en_US
dc.subject.mesh	Genetic Variation	en_US
dc.title	What is the extent of prokaryotic diversity?	en_US
dc.type	Journal Article
utslib.citation.volume	1475	en_US
utslib.citation.volume	361	en_US
utslib.for	0602 Ecology	en_US
utslib.for	06 Biological Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	07 Agricultural and Veterinary Sciences	en_US
utslib.for	11 Medical and Health Sciences	en_US
pubs.embargo.period	Not known	en_US
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science
pubs.organisational-group	/University of Technology Sydney/Faculty of Science/School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
utslib.copyright.status	closed_access
pubs.issue	1475	en_US
pubs.publication-status	Published	en_US
pubs.volume	361	en_US

Abstract:

The extent of microbial diversity is an intrinsically fascinating subject of profound practical importance. The term 'diversity' may allude to the number of taxa or species richness as well as their relative abundance. There is uncertainty about both, primarily because sample sizes are too small. Non-parametric diversity estimators make gross underestimates if used with small sample sizes on unevenly distributed communities. One can make richness estimates over many scales using small samples by assuming a species/taxa-abundance distribution. However, no one knows what the underlying taxa-abundance distributions are for bacterial communities. Latterly, diversity has been estimated by fitting data from gene clone libraries and extrapolating from this to taxa-abundance curves to estimate richness. However, since sample sizes are small, we cannot be sure that such samples are representative of the community from which they were drawn. It is however possible to formulate, and calibrate, models that predict the diversity of local communities and of samples drawn from that local community. The calibration of such models suggests that migration rates are small and decrease as the community gets larger. The preliminary predictions of the model are qualitatively consistent with the patterns seen in clone libraries in 'real life'. The validation of this model is also confounded by small sample sizes. However, if such models were properly validated, they could form invaluable tools for the prediction of microbial diversity and a basis for the systematic exploration of microbial diversity on the planet. © 2006 The Royal Society.

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http://hdl.handle.net/10453/13390