Linkage between microbial shift and ecosystem functionality.

Exploring the linkage between microbial shifts and ecological processes or ecosystem functionality is a central focus in microbial ecology, but faces considerable obstacles, including the gap between DNA-based information and biochemical processes, as well as the asynchronization in microbial taxonomic shifts and their functionality change. Despite these issues, the well-established linkage between functional genes (reflecting genetic potential) and carbon release via laboratory incubation (reflecting field potential) is a good preliminary step that provides clues about the magnitude of in situ permafrost carbon release under permafrost thaw on the basis of microbial functional gene changes.