Unraveling the potential of microbial communities for lake bioremediation via the metagenomics tool: a review

Characterization of ubiquitous microorganisms has encountered many challenges, such as determining unknown microorganisms, their interactions, and unresolved functions in natural environments. Evolution in metagenomics and tools, however, has revolutionized assessment methodologies. Metagenomics has enabled unearthing the secret microbial treasure in a culture-independent manner and has proven more successful than conventional methodologies. It has provided an unparalleled platform for functional and taxonomic characterization of microbiota dwellings in altered lakes. Of late, many research articles have used metagenomics to understand microorganisms’ role in environmental clean-up. Consequently, these studies have been consolidated in the form of review articles. However, most of them are related to microbial characterization, procedure of metagenomics, and wastewater treatment, whereas only a few were directly related to lake bioremediation. Therefore, this review highlights the applications of metagenomics for unraveling microbial potential for lake rejuvenation. A paradigm shift from conventional to recent breakthroughs in metagenomics is also emphasized. The review also discusses merits, demerits of previous molecular techniques, and potential of metagenomics for understanding the microbial world in contaminated environments. Furthermore, the review discusses recent metagenomic studies for lake rejuvenation. Finally, future research directions are proposed for designing possible strategies for lake rejuvenation. HIGHLIGHTS Metagenomics is evaluated as a novel tool for studying microbial communities’ taxonomic and functional capabilities.; The paradigm shift from conventional to recent metagenomics advancements is reviewed.; Potential of metagenomics for designing an accelerated remediation process for lakes is emphasized.;