An introduction to and a reflection on the “ecogenomics promise”

Abstract

Genomics and ecology is becoming a popular combination. New variants of “omics” seem to be invented on a daily basis; older variants of omics are reused for different fields and described differently. Altogether it becomes increasingly difficult for people from other research disciplines and – especially – from outside the scientific community to make sense of genomics research, or to identify the findings relevant for their own profession, for instance in environmental management or decision making. In this article, we provide a framework for positioning the different omics studies related to ecology – which we will label “ecogenomics”. Furthermore, we give an overview of important articles that have shaped ecogenomics research and provide our readers with examples of ecogenomics promises for society.