Are
Native, Invasive, Species, and Extinct useful terms for soil microorganisms?
So, Native/ Invasive, or Non native. Spores and Bacteria float all around the globe; if conditions change, the population will change, but they were probably already there. I guess the exception may be strict symbiotic organisms, which can only exist with their plant or animal hosts.
Species; Fungi seem to be fairly well defined, but I've read some thing about how bacteria are constantly mutating, swapping genes through viruses, and even picking up bits of DNA from their environment, from dead or live organic matter around them.
Extinct; can/ could they go extinct, given their huge distribution and ability to go dormant for years? And in a related question, would we ever know or be able to prove it?
