WHY WE NEED MORE ALGAL METAGENOMES

A recent perspective article ably argued that fully sequencing more algal genomes would enable progress in diverse areas of fundamental and applied studies. More algal genomes would add resources needed to build well-supported phylogenies, improve our understanding of how horizontal gene transfer has influenced the evolution of algal genomes, provide useful ecological insights, and generate information essential to manipulating the genomes of industrially useful algae (J. Phycol. 51: 1). We agree that more algal genomes would be quite beneficial, and also propose that more algal metagenomes would enable progress in both predictable and unforeseen directions.