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What is a Microbiome?
What is a Microbiome?
Microbiome - the culmination of genomes from all existing microbes in a given environment.
Community - microbes living in close proximity to one another in these environments.
Microbiomes isolated from environmental community samples are difficult to reproduce in a laboratory setting due to uncontrolled environmental factors, making it challenging to build off of previous research in the microbiome field.
The EcoFAb Project
The EcoFAb Project
Thus, a standardized microbiome community within a laboratory-controlled fabricated ecosystem (EcoFAB) would be an invaluable benchtop tool to standardize microbiome experiments and provide control over environmental conditions.
Previously, researchers collaborating on the EcoFAB initiative developed the “hardware” component of the EcoFAB device. This consists of a 3D printed reservoir which houses the plant model. Additionally, the device has an inlet and outlet for media exchange and a viewing window for microbe observation. Our team focused on developing the standardized bacterial community or “software” of the EcoFAB.
project Overview
project Overview
The "Software"
The "Software"
Managing the growth and analysis of diverse bacterial communities over long periods of time
Controlling species monopolization which leads to shifts in community composition and abundance
Building on previous Zengler lab research
18 model microbes found
Media and abundance ratios optimized
Best microbe combinations unknown
Global Impact
Global Impact
Microbe-microbe interactions within plant rhizospheres remain poorly understood. Understanding these interactions can help improve farming practices and create new agricultural technology.
Over fertilizing soil leads to negative industrial agriculture ramifications. It can strip the land, which fuels the need for fertilizers to replenish lost nutrients and damaged rhizospheres. Quantifying microbe-nutrient interactions has implications for improving fertilizer dosage.
References
“EcoFAB Device and EcoBOT – EcoFAB.” Accessed May 19, 2021. https://eco-fab.org/components/.
“RawWebsite.” Accessed May 19, 2021. https://www.rawlab.org/rhizosphere.
Fisk, T. (2019). Aerial Photography of Farmland. photograph, Indonesia.
page by Meagan Rowan
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