Progress and perspectives in aquatic microbial ecology: Highlights of the SAME 14, Uppsala, Sweden, 2015

Abstract

The presentations and discussion during the Symposium of Aquatic Microbial Ecology (SAME) in Uppsala, Sweden, in August 2015 highlighted new directions and challenges in the study of aquatic microbial communities. In this virtual Special Issue, plenary speakers and meeting awardees explore these challenges. The contributions cover a wide range of topics from the use of molecular analyses of microbial communities to cultivation and stoichiometric analyses. The virtual Special also includes theoretical developments on the concept of rarity to community assembly. A common theme for the Special is, however, the importance of a combination of different approaches in order to deepen our understanding of the ecology of microbial communities.