Comment on "Computational Improvements Reveal Great Bacterial Diversity and High Metal Toxicity in Soil"

Bunge, J., Epstein, S. S., & Peterson, D. G. (2006). Comment on "Computational Improvements Reveal Great Bacterial Diversity and High Metal Toxicity in Soil". Science. 313, 918.

Gans et al. (Reports, 26 August 2005, p. 1387) provided an estimate of soil bacterial species richness two orders of magnitude greater than previously reported values. Using a re-derived mathematical model, we reanalyzed the data and found that the statistical error exceeds the estimate by a factor of 26. We also note two potential sources of error in the experimental data collection and measurement procedures.