 Stepping back from these details, we see that depending on the microbial species concept or the type of genetic data used, microbiologists will obtain different species classifications for a particular set of organisms. One might wonder if this situation gives us reason to be species pluralists when it comes to microbiology. Is one microbial species concept, or one type of genetic data, better than all the rest and we should adopt monism? Or is there no best way to sort microbes into species but a variety of equally adequate ways? If the latter is correct then we should be pluralists concerning microbial species. For further discussion of microbiology and species, see O’Malley and Dupré 2007, Franklin 2007, Morgan and Pitts 2008, Doolittle and Bapteste 2007, Doolittle and Zhaxybayeva 2009, Ereshefsky 2010b, and O’Malley 2014.