The modern molecular biology movement was developed in the 1960s with the conglomeration
of biology, chemistry, and physics. Today, molecular biology is an integral part of studies
aimed at understanding the evolution and ecology of gastrointestinal microbial communities.
Molecular techniques have led to significant gains in our understanding of the chicken
gastrointestinal microbiome. New advances, primarily in DNA sequencing technologies, have
equipped researchers with the ability to explore these communities at an unprecedented level.
A reinvigorated movement in systems biology offers a renewed promise in obtaining a more
complete understanding of chicken gastrointestinal microbiome dynamics and their contributions
to increasing productivity, food value, security, and safety as well as reducing the public
health impact of raising production animals. Here, we contextualize the contributions
molecular biology has already made to our understanding of the chicken gastrointestinal
microbiome and propose targeted research directions that could further exploit molecular
technologies to improve the economy of the poultry industry.