Analytical Techniques/Technologies for Studying Ecological Microbial Samples

It is known that most of the microorganisms in the environment are unculturable and using the culture-dependent methods in isolating these organisms may be time consuming among other disadvantages. As a result, methods used in studying microbes have evolved from the traditional culture-dependent methods to culture-independent molecular-based approaches. This chapter discusses the classical culture-independent molecular techniques with an emphasis on the latest information on novel methods in microbial ecological research including the use of “omics” approaches such as metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metaproteomics, and metabolomics for identifying total microbial community structure and their functions in the environment. It also covers the recent use of a combination of “omics” (multi-omics) approach and the use of improved bioinformatics pipeline for big data analysis and interpretation.