Soil Metagenomics: Unculturable Microbial Diversity and Its Function

Abstract

Microbes are integral and essential part of life. Each living form on this Earth has its closely linked microbial component that affects the structure and function of respective flora or fauna. Nevertheless, all biogeochemical cycles and other natural processes are incomplete without microbial intervention. Therefore, microbial identification and characterization is very essential to explore the full potential of the microorganisms. Further, in view of the great plate count anomaly and biased isolation technologies; metagenomics offers a bypass method to access the hidden treasure of the microbial world. With such technology in hand, it is possible to analyze and interpret the interaction and cooperation between natural cycles and human activities that together shape the future of this planet.