Project 6

Environmental Interventions

Project 6 aims to develop microbiome-targeted interventions improving environmental health and sustainability.

First, microbiome-based interventions that improve the efficacy of crop nutrient use are a critical step towards sustainable agriculture. Excessive fertilizer use is energetically intensive and contributes to pollution that can destroy ecosystems. Identifying microbiomes with N-cycling and P-mobilization properties will improve plant growth and require no or substantially lower amounts of unsustainable fertilizers.

Second, the sequestration of atmospheric carbon dioxide is an important strategy for ameliorating the global consequences of the anthropogenic release of greenhouse gases. We will develop a mechanistic framework for microbiome-enhanced silicate weathering (mESW) and design microbial communities to harness the full potential of enhanced weathering for C sequestration.

Finally, we will address selective nutrients to promote the growth of beneficial microbes in human and environmental microbiomes. We will evaluate the success of prebiotic compounds on organosulfur-cycling microorganisms, which are important in soil, plant, and human health.