Working with big microbial data has been a complimentary change from my previous experience in plant ecology. Within my first year as a PhD student in a lab that is at the interface of microbial genomics and ecology, I have only scratched the surface with learning the different skills I need. However, my previous experience in macroecology has helped me connect the details of analyzing microbial data. What can filling the gaps between different ecological fields teach us about the learning curve in working with big data and further utilizing that data for answering foundational ecological questions?
