Horizon-scanning prioritises coastal microbiome research

Ecologists and evolutionary biologists around the world now see natural environments differently thanks to the increasing evidence of the importance of microbes for ecosystem function. As a consequence, they have started studying these habitats at relatively smaller scales. This, with the accelerated accumulation of accessible but massive descriptive data sets on environmental microbiomes - with the potential to answer a multitude of research questions - has inevitably resulted in many more questions than answers. How and where should we even start to address these issues?

A workshop held at Deakin University in Melbourne (July 2017) was the beginning of an incredible collaborative experience for 23 specialists in the field of coastal microbiome research (including a number of current and former UTS Climate Change Cluster colleagues), all wondering what the future of coastal ecosystem research should be focused on when considering the substantial relevance of the myriad microorganisms that inhabit and live in association with animals and plants in the ocean.