Impact of space, time and complex environments on microbial communities

Abstract

The unparalleled accumulation of biological and contextual data is currently revolutionizing the way environmental microbiologists address ecological questions. Here, we briefly review the likely causes that may explain this remarkable scientific revolution and present a synthesized view about how to describe microbial communities in their complex environmental context. © Journal compilation © 2009 European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases.