Editorial: Development Of Microbial Ecological Theory: Stability, Plasticity, And Evolution Of Microbial Ecosystems

We initiated this research topic based on the question “how can we develop microbial ecological theory?” We incorporated three important aspects, stability, plasticity, and evolution, which are key areas for progress in microbial ecological theory. Advances in microbial ecological techniques have allowed us to meticulously consider the dynamics of community structures, interspecies networks, and metabolic flux of microbial ecosystems. Studies using these techniques have demonstrated the stability (i.e., resistance, resilience, and persistence), dynamic equilibrium, and self-organizing ability of micro-ecosystems. Here, the fine contributors in this volume aimed to determine the central and general tenets of the ecological theory that describes the features of microbial ecosystems.