Nannipieri, P., Ascher, J., Ceccherini, M.T., Landi, L., Pietramellara, G. & Renella, G. 2003. Microbial diversity and soil functions. European Journal of Soil Science, 54, 655-670.: Reflections by P. Nannipieri, J. Ascher-Jenull, M. T. Ceccherini, L. Giagnoni, G. Pietramellara & G. Renella

Landmark papers. Our review discussed the meaning of both microbial diversity and microbial activity at the dawn of the ‘soil omics’ era. It focused on problems with the methods to determine them and on the main ways that soil functions depend on microbial processes. Between 2003 and 2016, the molecular techniques applied in the study of soil microbial diversity have improved markedly. Sequencing techniques today provide accurate estimates of microbial diversity in soil, whereas determining the expression of microbial genes as synthesized proteins is still problematic (Renella et al., 2014a). The assumption was and still is that with a fuller understanding of microbial diversity we might be able to control some soil functions