1610 Biology Summary Article Reflection

A Census-based estimate of Earth's Bacterial and Archaeal diversity

Authors: ​Stilianos Louca , ​Florent Mazel, Michael Doebeli, Laura Wegener Parfrey
Reflection by: Nania Platt

Summary of the writing and learning process of this paper

In the process of composing this summary article I found myself looking and learning

again and again what the article I had read and was still learning to understand was about. The

process of compiling the information for the article must have been very difficult for the authors.

They took much of what was out in the worlds research on the population of Bacteria and

Archaea and then applied many complex and diverse procedures. I had to learn what the

authors were trying to portray and then learn how they explained it. They had many acronyms

that made it difficult to know exactly what was being said and why but after reading for a while, I

understood that they were mainly speaking of previous projects that had been done for the

same reason they had. The authors had to be very specific on why they thought their

information was correct than the many that had gone before them.

To continue, during my reading process of the article, I tried to take notes on all the

important points that the article was trying to point out. In this process it solidified what was

actually being said and brought more clarity. I found it interesting how often certain information

was repeated and how much that actually helped me. The more that the authors talked on a

certain point, the more I understood what they were saying. This is not to say I completely

understood all their processes, the calculation processes was far from what I formally

understand. I do know that they were very specific formulas and if I were in their field of work, it

would be very beneficial. Much of their work was pointed towards analysis of data previously
found, I am not sure if they did their own research, to add to the population that had already

been analyzed but their information may help for future discoveries.

To conclude that through the entire process, I had to conscientiously be thinking on what

they were trying to conceive and how it would impact societies to truly understand. Much of the

jargon in the article was definitely something that took time to descifier and understand. With the

conclusions that there are an estimate of 739,880 prokaryotic taxonomic units (690,747

bacterial and 49,406 archaeal), where they conclude that there are roughly 0.8-1.6 million

prokaryotic OTUs and 2.4-4.3 million full-length OTUs worldwide, that the previous estimates

have been wrong is a huge claim. But with all their work and analysis, it seems like a very true

statement. I yet still want in a future day to learn and understand more. There is still so much to

be discovered.