The actual in situ activities of these microbes remain to be elucidated through future metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies

The gap

Evidence profile

Sourced from the future work and conclusions and future-work section of the source papers, classified as general, drawn from work published between 2024 and 2026, spanning 2 journals. Those papers have been cited 16 times in total.

Supporting evidence — 3 representative gaps

• Marine microbial bioprospecting and bioactive bioproducts: seven decades of discovery and contemporary perspectives (2025) · Frontiers in Marine Science · cited 7× · doi

  The current review compiles the immense potential of marine microbes and their paramount applications in various sectors. The exploration of innovative oceanic products, which have enormous industrial applications, stands out as a particularly captivating avenue within contemporary marine science. The constant demand for novel drugs from natural sources demands the requirement for a significant number of discoveries from marine microorganisms. However, most of these microorganisms have not yet been cultured, and therefore, more rigorous efforts are required to culture these microorganisms to explore their potential for various secondary metabolites. Only a few culturable microbes (1%), which produced a number of useful commercial products, were the focus of scientific research over the past 50 years. However, the remaining uncultured microbes (99%) have a wide range of potential applications for keeping an eco-friendly environment and improving human welfare. A plethora of such marine microbes and their molecules can be discovered by various modern biotechnological methods. A significant advancement in this field is the emergence of metagenomics, a novel methodology for examining microorganisms directly from their natural environments. This approach employs functional gene screening and sequencing analysis to explore various aspects, including microbial diversity, community composition, genetic and evolutionary linkages, functional dynamics, and the complex interactions and relationships these microorganisms establish within their environment. The ultimate aim for safeguarding marine microbial diversity is the stability of bioactive compounds from these organisms, which is valuable and preferred in various industrial applications. Despite these developments, important obstacles still remain. Massive marine ecosystems are still unexplored, and research is often biased toward certain regions. Broad comparisons are hampered by the limitations of metagenomic datasets, which are frequently caused by inconsistent methodology and insufficient sampling. For a comprehensive understanding of marine microbial diversity and its sustainable biotechnological potential,

  generalfuture work
  Keywords: marine various microorganisms potential microbes applications microbial diversity products industrial within novel natural signi cant
• Prokaryotic community structure and key taxa in the Arabian Sea’s oxygen minimum zone (2024) · Frontiers in Marine Science · cited 9× · doi

  However, the actual in situ activities of these microbes remain to be elucidated through future metagenomic and metatranscriptomic studies. This knowledge is crucial for predicting the ecological roles and responses of these communities to changing oceanographic conditions and informs further research into the complex microbial ecology and function within OMZs.

  generalconclusions
  Keywords: actual situ activities microbes remain elucidated future metagenomic metatranscriptomic knowledge crucial predicting ecological roles responses
• Microbial and Enzymatic Degradation of Polylactic Acid (PLA) and Related Polyesters: Molecular Mechanisms, Marine Environmental Dynamics, and Biotechnological Innovations (2026) · Zenodo (CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research) · doi

  The integration of Metagenomic and meta transcriptomic analysis to provide a high-resolution map of the marine enzymatic landscape from uncultured marine microbes. The use of synthetic biology to construct engineered microbial consortia for tackling persistent plastic bond. The development of digital protein engineering and ecological modelling to test the biodegradability efficiency of new polymers in a virtual ocean.

  generalfuture-work sectionevidence 5/5
  Keywords: integration metagenomic meta transcriptomic analysis provide high-resolution map

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