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DOE OSTI · 1814528

Solutions in microbiome engineering: prioritizing barriers to organism establishment

Albright, Michaeline B. N.·Louca, Stilianos·Winkler, Daniel E.·Feeser, Kelli L. (ORCID:0000000241440294)·Haig, Sarah-Jane (ORCID:0000000200048894)·Whiteson, Katrine L. (ORCID:0000000254236014)·Emerson, Joanne B. (ORCID:0000000199835566)·Dunbar, John
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Abstract

Abstract Microbiome engineering is increasingly being employed as a solution to challenges in health, agriculture, and climate. Often manipulation involves inoculation of new microbes designed to improve function into a preexisting microbial community. Despite, increased efforts in microbiome engineering inoculants frequently fail to establish and/or confer long-lasting modifications on ecosystem function. We posit that one underlying cause of these shortfalls is the failure to consider barriers to organism establishment. This is a key challenge and focus of macroecology research, specifically invasion biology and restoration ecology. We adopt a framework from invasion biology that summarizes establishment barriers in three categories: (1) propagule pressure, (2) environmental filtering, and (3) biotic interactions factors. We suggest that biotic interactions is the most neglected factor in microbiome engineering research, and we recommend a number of actions to accelerate engineering solutions.

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59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCESCommunity ecologyMicrobial ecology

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BibTeXRIS

Albright, Michaeline B. N., Louca, Stilianos, Winkler, Daniel E., Feeser, Kelli L. (ORCID:0000000241440294), Haig, Sarah-Jane (ORCID:0000000200048894), Whiteson, Katrine L. (ORCID:0000000254236014), Emerson, Joanne B. (ORCID:0000000199835566), Dunbar, John. 2021-08-21. Solutions in microbiome engineering: prioritizing barriers to organism establishment. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41396-021-01088-5

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