Microbial ecology tries to adapt theories from general ecology into the microbial world to describe general principles of microbiomes on earth related to self-organization as well as resilience or functional redundancy. Microbial ecology aims to improve our understanding of the interactions of microorganisms with their environment, each other, and plant and animal species. It includes the study of symbioses, biogeochemical cycles and the interaction of microbes with anthropogenic effects such as pollution and climate change. Ecosystems of interest include natural environments, managed and technical ecosystems, extreme environments, as well as humans, animals and plants.