Molecular Methods of Studying Microbial Diversity in Soil Environments

Abstract : Microorganisms live in all parts of the biosphere and are critical to nutrient recycling in ecosystems. In recent years, the development of methodologies for the analysis of microorganisms and microbial ecology, at the molecular level, has progressed phenomenally. This review introduces and compares the various molecular methods for studying microbial diversity in soil environments, and the advantages and disadvantages of current methods are proposed as well.