Publication details
Soil protistology rebooted: 30 fundamental questions to start with
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2017 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| Magazine / Source | Soil Biology and Biochemistry |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Doi | http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2017.04.001 |
| Field | Ecology |
| Keywords | Soil protists; Protozoa; Microbial interactions; Food web; Biodiversity; Functional diversity; Protists |
| Description | Protists have received little scientific attention, especially compared to bacteria, fungi and nematodes in soil studies. Recent methodological advances, particularly in molecular biology techniques, have made the study of soil protists more accessible, and have created a resurgence of interest in soil protistology. This ongoing revolution now enables comprehensive investigations of the structure and functioning of soil protist communities, paving the way to a new era in soil biology. Instead of providing an exhaustive review, we provide a synthesis of research gaps that should be prioritized in future studies of soil protistology to guide this rapidly developing research area. Based on a synthesis of expert opinion we propose 30 key questions covering a broad range of topics including evolution, phylogenetics, functional ecology, macroecology, paleoecology, and methodologies. |