Prediction of response of microbial interaction networks cycling carbon to changing moisture conditions
EMSL Project ID
60606
Abstract
Harnessing the soil microbiome presents transformational opportunities to optimize the economic and
environmental value of our nation’s soil microbiomes, including maintaining soil organic matter stocks
and minimizing CO2 emissions. Understanding fundamental biology driving C cycling, especially in
marginal environments, remains an obstacle. In the proposed research, we will identify phenotypic
elements underpinning community metabolism, metaphenomes expressed under drought, and the
implications for carbon use efficiency. We will use cross-scale empirical and modeling experiments to
address the complexity of the inter-kingdom interactions that regulate microbial metabolism, and scaling
challenges required for translational outcomes. To address our hypotheses, cross-scale multi-omic and
imaging data will feed into complementary and synergistic network modeling approaches that include
ecological model-based network inferences, genome-scale metabolic networks, and gene co-expression
networks. We will use an innovative platform of model soil consortia, incubation devices, and chemical
biology tools to reveal microbial phenotypes regulating community metabolism. Discoveries and
outcomes from controlled experiments will be tested and evaluated in the field trial to identify in situ
metabolic complementarity and interpret resultant metaphenomes. Knowledge from this SFA will provide fundamental understanding of how enzymes, metabolites, and microbial consortia interact to decompose organic carbon and enable prediction of how these reaction networks and related functions shift in response to changing moisture regimes. The science, data, and workflows produced will position the Biological and Environmental Research (BER) program to lead the nation in increasing soil organic
matter storage, which is fundamental to regenerating soil health and managing soil ecosystems for
environmental and energy sustainability
Project Details
Start Date
2022-10-18
End Date
2023-09-30
Status
Closed
Released Data Link
Team
Principal Investigator
Co-Investigator(s)
Team Members