Mapping Microbial Niches: Insights from Social Niche Strategies.
A German-Dutch research team has presented the first "Map of the Microverse" by determining which microorganisms live together and redefining microbial niches by using a "social niche breadth" approach. The researchers found that in most habitats, generalists are dominant, and the genomes of generalists are not particularly large. They also discovered two contrasting evolutionary strategies: In habitats with relatively low local biodiversity, the specialists have a relatively small genome, while in highly biodiverse habitats such as soils, the genome of the specialists is significantly larger.