FOR BILLIONS OF YEARS MICROBES AND THEIR METABOLIC ACTIVITIES HAVE BEEN SHAPING EARTH S PHYSICAL CHEMICAL AND MINERALOGICAL LANDSCAPES TO MAINTAIN A HABITABLE WORLD. MICROBES COMPRISE 60% OF THE PLANET S BIOMASS YET MOST OF THE ESTIMATED 10^12 MICROBIAL SPECIES REMAIN UNCHARACTERIZED. BEYOND A BASIC UNDERSTANDING OF MICROBIAL SPECIES AND THEIR GENOMES WE CURRENTLY HAVE AN INCOMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE ROLES MICROBES AND THEIR GENE PRODUCTS PLAY IN ECOSYSTEM PROCESSES. ELUCIDATING THE IMPORTANCE OF THESE UNKNOWN TAXA COLLOQUIALLY REFERRED TO AS MICROBIAL DARK MATTER REQUIRES MOVING BEYOND DEEP SEQUENCING AND NECESSITATES A SYSTEMS BIOLOGY APPROACH TO INTEGRATE OF ALL LEVELS OF BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION TO MORE ACCURATELY PREDICT THE EMERGENT PROPERTIES OF ECOSYSTEMS AND PRIORITIZE UNKNOWN BIOLOGICAL ENTITIES FOR FURTHER STUDY.