Data from: Microbial functional diversity: from concepts to applications

Functional diversity is increasingly recognized by microbial ecologists as
the essential link between biodiversity patterns and ecosystem
functioning, determining the trophic relationships and interactions
between microorganisms, their participation in biogeochemical cycles and
their responses to environmental changes. Consequently, its definition and
quantification have practical and theoretical implications. In this
opinion paper, we present a synthesis on the concept of microbial
functional diversity from its definition to its application. Initially, we
revisit to the original definition of functional diversity, highlighting
two fundamental aspects, the ecological unit under study and the
functional traits used to characterize it. Then, we discuss how the
particularities of the microbial world disallow the direct application of
the concepts and tools developed for macroorganisms. Next, we provide a
synthesis of the literature on the types of ecological units and
functional traits available in microbial functional ecology. We also
provide a list of more than 400 traits covering a wide array of
environmentally relevant functions. Lastly, we provide examples of the use
of functional diversity in microbial systems based on the different units
and traits discussed herein. It is our hope that this paper will stimulate
discussions and help the growing field of microbial functional ecology to
realize a potential that thus far has only been attained in macrobial
ecology.