02880nas a2200625 4500008004100000245007400041210006900115260001200184490000800196520106500204100002301269700002101292700002101313700001601334700001801350700002301368700002201391700002301413700002201436700002001458700002701478700002001505700002301525700002801548700002301576700002201599700002101621700002401642700002001666700002401686700001601710700001501726700001801741700002201759700002701781700001901808700002401827700002201851700002101873700002801894700002201922700002201944700001701966700002101983700001902004700002202023700001802045700002702063700002302090700002302113700002202136700001602158700003202174856004802206 2017 eng d00aA communal catalogue reveals Earth’s multiscale microbial diversity0 acommunal catalogue reveals Earth s multiscale microbial diversit c11/20170 v5513 a
Our growing awareness of the microbial world’s importance and diversity contrasts starkly with our limited understanding of its fundamental structure. Despite recent advances in DNA sequencing, a lack of standardized protocols and common analytical frameworks impedes comparisons among studies, hindering the development of global inferences about microbial life on Earth. Here we present a meta-analysis of microbial community samples collected by hundreds of researchers for the Earth Microbiome Project. Coordinated protocols and new analytical methods, particularly the use of exact sequences instead of clustered operational taxonomic units, enable bacterial and archaeal ribosomal RNA gene sequences to be followed across multiple studies and allow us to explore patterns of diversity at an unprecedented scale. The result is both a reference database giving global context to DNA sequence data and a framework for incorporating data from future studies, fostering increasingly complete characterization of Earth’s microbial diversity.
1 aThompson, Luke, R.1 aSanders, Jon, G.1 aMcDonald, Daniel1 aAmir, Amnon1 aLadau, Joshua1 aLocey, Kenneth, J.1 aPrill, Robert, J.1 aTripathi, Anupriya1 aGibbons, Sean, M.1 aAckermann, Gail1 aNavas-Molina, Jose, A.1 aJanssen, Stefan1 aKopylova, Evguenia1 aVázquez-Baeza, Yoshiki1 aGonzález, Antonio1 aMorton, James, T.1 aMirarab, Siavash1 aXu, Zhenjiang, Zech1 aJiang, Lingjing1 aHaroon, Mohamed, F.1 aKanbar, Jad1 aZhu, Qiyun1 aSong, Se, Jin1 aKosciolek, Tomasz1 aBokulich, Nicholas, A.1 aLefler, Joshua1 aBrislawn, Colin, J.1 aHumphrey, Gregory1 aOwens, Sarah, M.1 aHampton-Marcell, Jarrad1 aBerg-Lyons, Donna1 aMcKenzie, Valerie1 aFierer, Noah1 aFuhrman, Jed, A.1 aClauset, Aaron1 aStevens, Rick, L.1 aShade, Ashley1 aPollard, Katherine, S.1 aGoodwin, Kelly, D.1 aJansson, Janet, K.1 aGilbert, Jack, A.1 aKnight, Rob1 aConsortium, The, Earth Micr uhttps://www.nature.com/articles/nature24621