Prokaryotic functional gene diversity in the sunlit ocean: stumbling in the dark

Prokaryotes are extremely abundant in the ocean where they drive biogeochemical cycles. The recent development and application of omics techniques has provided an astonishingnbsp;amount of information revealing the existence of a vast diversitynbsp;of functional genes and a large heterogeneity within each gene.nbsp;The big challenge for microbial ecologists is now to understandbr /> the ecological relevance of this variability for ecosystemnbsp;functioning, a question that remains largely understudied. Thisnbsp;brief review highlights some of the latest advances in the studynbsp;of the diversity of biogeochemically relevant functional genes innbsp;the sunlit ocean./p>