bacteria

Microbiome research is revealing the profound effects that microbial inhabitants can have on their animal hosts. Recent and rapid advances in sequencing technologies have allowed biologists to characterise the microbial constituents of a variety of host organisms, giving greater insights into these intimate relationships than ever before. For many animal species, microbiomes serve as an interface between host and environment, with associated microorganisms playing functional roles in nutrition, immunity, reproduction, and even behaviour.

There are very few, if any, ecosystems that are not profoundly influenced by the activity of microbial communities. Microorganisms, encompassing domains Bacteria and Archaea as well as microscopic members of the Eukarya such as protozoa, yeasts and many other fungi, are tremendously abundant and contribute significantly to the major biogeochemical processes.