Title |
A Resurgence in Field Research is Essential to Better Understand the Diversity, Ecology, and Evolution of Microbial Eukaryotes
|
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Published in |
Journal of Eukaryotic Microbiology, February 2014
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DOI | 10.1111/jeu.12095 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Thierry J. Heger, Virginia P. Edgcomb, Eunsoo Kim, Julius Lukeš, Brian S. Leander, Naoji Yubuki |
Abstract |
The discovery and characterization of protist communities from diverse environments are crucial for understanding the overall evolutionary history of life on earth. However, major questions about the diversity, ecology, and evolutionary history of protists remain unanswered, notably because data obtained from natural protist communities, especially of heterotrophic species, remain limited. In this review, we discuss the challenges associated with "field protistology", defined here as the exploration, characterization, and interpretation of microbial eukaryotic diversity within the context of natural environments or field experiments, and provide suggestions to help fill this important gap in knowledge. We also argue that increased efforts in field studies that combine molecular and microscopical methods offer the most promising path toward (1) the discovery of new lineages that expand the tree of eukaryotes; (2) the recognition of novel evolutionary patterns and processes; (3) the untangling of ecological interactions and functions, and their roles in larger ecosystem processes; and (4) the evaluation of protist adaptations to a changing climate. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Denmark | 1 | 25% |
Unknown | 3 | 75% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Members of the public | 2 | 50% |
Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 25% |
Scientists | 1 | 25% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Chile | 2 | 3% |
Germany | 1 | 1% |
France | 1 | 1% |
Ireland | 1 | 1% |
Czechia | 1 | 1% |
United Kingdom | 1 | 1% |
Canada | 1 | 1% |
United States | 1 | 1% |
Unknown | 58 | 87% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Researcher | 15 | 22% |
Student > Ph. D. Student | 14 | 21% |
Student > Master | 8 | 12% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 7 | 10% |
Professor | 5 | 7% |
Other | 8 | 12% |
Unknown | 10 | 15% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 28 | 42% |
Environmental Science | 10 | 15% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 6 | 9% |
Medicine and Dentistry | 2 | 3% |
Immunology and Microbiology | 2 | 3% |
Other | 2 | 3% |
Unknown | 17 | 25% |