In a new study published in Cell, scientists in the Bork Group at EMBL Heidelberg reveal that microbes living in similar habitats are more alike than those simply inhabiting the same geographical region. By analyzing tens of thousands of metagenomes, the team found that while most microbes adapt to a specific ecosystem, a rarer subset known as ‘generalists’ can thrive across very different habitats.
Known for being ecologically tolerant, generalists are capable of moving from habitat to habitat, interacting with and transferring their genes to other microbes, creating what the team describe as an interconnected, planet-wide network of microbiomes.
Developing a more holistic view of the microbiome
Up until now, most large-scale microbiome studies have been on a specific ecosystem basis, due to the…