Previous MFC microbial ecology studies have used Sanger-based 16S rRNA sequencing for microbial community characterization.
By examining the relationship of genome structure and function across many different taxa with NGS data, the scope of microbiology and of microbial evolution studies has been greatly broadened, and the field of systems biology has emerged [ 4, 5].
The lack of a single marker gene in viral genomes complicates phylogenetic profiling of viral communities, a powerful technique for studying microbial communities, and previous studies have focused on profiling viral gene functions [4].
On the basis of the association of certain host genomes with the abundance levels of microbial taxa [ 59], studies have been performed to identify regions of the genome that are responsible for these associations.
Although evidence indicates that the ADME of environmental chemicals may be affected by many of these microbial-mediated pathways, no studies have evaluated how the ADME of obesogenic or diabetogenic chemicals are affected by variations in the human microbiome.
Moreover, only several studies have focused on microbial aspects, such as microbial colonization, biofilm formation, and microbial community structures on the membrane surfaces in MBRs (Chen et al. 2004; Zhang et al. 2006).
Surprisingly, despite the well-known mutual dependence between plant roots and soil microbial communities [9], [10], no studies have hitherto made an in depth analysis of how initial growth conditions and transplantation affect the microbial communities of replants.
