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Peering into the Genetic Makeup of Natural Microbial Populations Using Metagenomics

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Population Genomics: Microorganisms

Part of the book series: Population Genomics ((POGE))

Abstract

This chapter focuses on how metagenomic data are applied to examine the genomic heterogeneity of natural microbial populations. It highlights the opportunities and challenges inherent to the approach and describes recently developed methods to maximally leverage the potential of these datasets while tackling some of the challenges. We describe how performing population genomic analyses using metagenomic data allows (1) resolution of ecologically and genetically cohesive populations in the environment, (2) tracking of evolutionary processes within them, and (3) application of metatranscriptomic and metaproteomic analyses to determine the in situ physiology of distinct populations. While challenges remain that are inherent to the approach, the current wave of new bioinformatic tools is starting to realize the theoretical potential of metagenomics to peer into the spatiotemporal dynamics of the genetic structure of natural populations.

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Acknowledgments

I thank Ruben Props (Ghent University) and Prof. Martin Polz (MIT) for constructive comments to help improve this chapter.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Vincent J. Denef

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  1. Vincent J. Denef
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Correspondence to Vincent J. Denef .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    Martin F. Polz

  2. Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management, University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, NB, Canada

    Om P. Rajora

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Denef, V.J. (2018). Peering into the Genetic Makeup of Natural Microbial Populations Using Metagenomics. In: Polz, M., Rajora, O. (eds) Population Genomics: Microorganisms. Population Genomics. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/13836_2018_14

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