MICROBIAL DIVERSITY AND THE MODERN APPROACH TO THE INVESTIGATION OF COMPLEX MICROBIAL ECOSYSTEMS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14720/aas.1998.72.1.17075Keywords:
microbiology, microbial diversity, molecular biology, phylogeneticsAbstract
Our knowledge about microbial diversity has been rapidly accumulating due to the application of the modern molecular biology based techniques. DNA sequence based taxonomy and phylogenetic studies were among the first that implemented molecular biology techniques but the field of microbial diversity seems to be the one that will profit most. Traditional estimations of the numbers of different microorganisms inhabiting our planet have been surpassed by the first molecular screenings of the natural microbial ecosystems and while everybody agrees that the known microorganisms can only represent a minor share of planetary microbiota, nobody can really estimate the actual size of it. Techniques that are not tied to the isolation and cultivation procedures are the only ones that could make progress in the field. A review of the history of implementation of molecular biology methods in microbiology is presented.
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Copyright (c) 1998 University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty

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