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Collectively, we have been reviewers for microbial ecology, genetics and genomics studies that include environmental DNA (eDNA), microbiome studies, and whole bacterial genome biology for Microbial Ecology and other journals for about three decades. Here, we wish to point out trends and point to areas of study that readers, especially those moving into the next generation of microbial ecology research, might learn and consider. In this communication, we are not saying the work currently being accomplished in microbial ecology and restoration biology is inadequate. What we are saying is that a significant milestone in microbial ecology has been reached, and approaches that may have been overlooked or were unable to be completed before should be reconsidered in moving forward into a new more ecological era where restoration of the ecological trajectory of systems has become critical. It is our hope that this introduction, along with the papers that make up this special issue, will address the sense of immediacy and focus needed to move into the next generation of microbial ecology study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Are we moving to a world where ecosystem restoration plans are assembled around the aquatic and terrestrial microorganisms first, given their importance, then building in the plants and animals? In the mid-twentieth century, restoration ecology became recognized as a field of ecology that focused on reversing the effects of human degradation and destruction of ecosystems. Welcome to this Special Issue of Microbial Ecology that explores the role of microbial genomics in restoration ecology. [Extracted from the article]