Abstract
Protists are the most diverse eukaryotes. These microbes are keystone organisms of soil ecosystems and
regulate essential processes of soil fertility such as nutrient cycling and plant growth. Despite this,
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. These questions highlight a diversity of topics
that will establish soil protistology as a hub discipline connecting different fundamental and applied
fields such as ecology, biogeography, evolution, plant-microbe interactions, agronomy, and conservation
biology. We are convinced that soil protistology has the potential to be one of the most exciting frontiers
in biology.
regulate essential processes of soil fertility such as nutrient cycling and plant growth. Despite this,
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. These questions highlight a diversity of topics
that will establish soil protistology as a hub discipline connecting different fundamental and applied
fields such as ecology, biogeography, evolution, plant-microbe interactions, agronomy, and conservation
biology. We are convinced that soil protistology has the potential to be one of the most exciting frontiers
in biology.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 94-103 |
| Journal | Soil Biology and Biochemistry |
| Volume | 111 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2017 |
Keywords
- Biodiversity
- Food web
- Functional diversity
- Microbial interactions
- Protozoa
- Soil protists