Genomics, metagenomics, and microbial oceanography-A sea of opportunities

Abstract

Microbial oceanography is an emerging discipline resulted from the interaction, cross-fertilization and integration of life science and ocean science. Microbial oceanography integrates the principles of marine microbiology, microbial ecology and oceanography to study the role of microorganisms in the biogeochemical dynamics of natural marine ecosystems. The application of genomics tools to study marine microbes is resulting in rapid advancements in microbial oceanography that has important implications in global carbon cycle, climate change, and ecosystem function. Here we review the application of genomics and metagenomics in microbial oceanography and suggest future directions in microbial oceanography research. © 2011 Science China Press and Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.