Evolution is the hallmark of life. Descriptions of the evolution of microorganisms have
provided a wealth of information, but knowledge regarding “what happened” has precluded …

There has recently been a surge of literature examining microbial invasions into a variety of
environments. These studies often include a component of biological diversity as a major …

The marine cyanobacterium Prochlorococcus is the smallest and most abundant
photosynthetic organism on Earth. In this Review, we summarize our understanding of the …

Microorganisms are the primary engines of biogeochemical processes and foundational to
the provisioning of ecosystem services to human society. Free‐living microbial communities …

Some bacteria can transfer to new host species, and this poses a risk to human health.
Indeed, an estimated 60% of all human pathogens have originated from other animal …

Background Taxonomy is the biological discipline that identifies, describes, classifies and
names extant and extinct species and other taxa. Nowadays, species taxonomy is …

SAR11 is a group of small, carbon-oxidizing bacteria that reach a global estimated
population size of 2.4× 1028 cells—approximately 25% of all plankton. They are found …

Parasites and infectious diseases are everywhere and represent some of the most potent
forces sha** the natural world. They affect almost every aspect imaginable in the life of …

Diversity begets higher-order properties such as functional stability and robustness in
microbial communities, but principles that inform conceptual (and eventually predictive) …

The most distinguishing feature of most members of the family Bacillaceae (phylum
Firmicutes) is their ability to form endospores that provide high resistance to heat, radiation …