Do Bacterial Communities Transcend Darwinism

摘要: Until the development of fluorescent molecular probes and confocal laser microscopy, there were few alternatives to isolating microorganisms from their communities prior laboratory study. Isolation was necessary obtain a sufficient amount homogeneous cell material for chemical analyses, yet it constrained most work molecular, cellular, or organismal level. However, other techniques now allow analysis individual without isolation (Olsen et al., 1986; Pace Caldwell 1992a). This affords opportunity perform community-level experiments that are not possible with plants animals due large size. inconsistencies between evolutionary ecology (Mayr, 1993; Krassilov, 1994; Kauffman, 1993, 1995), ecosystem (Maynard-Smith, 1991; Loehle Pechman, 1988; Schulze Mooney, 1993), microbial (Margulis, 1990; Caldwell, Costerton, 1996), germ theory (Caldwell, 1995; 1997a), information (Rasmussen, 1988, Rasmussen Yockey, 1990, Kelly, 1994) make difficult formulate testable hypotheses relevant in understanding at community Consideration as units proliferation (and hence evolution) requires more generalized life, amenable formulation tests.