Our planet is changing rapidly, and responding to the ensuing environmental challenges will
require an informed citizenry that can understand the inherent complexity of ecological
systems. However, microorganisms are usually neglected in the narratives that we use to
understand nature. Here, we advocate for the inclusion of microbial ecology across
education levels and delineate the often neglected benefits of incorporating microbes into
ecology curricula. We provide examples across education levels, from secondary school (by …