Microbial communities (microbiomes) play important roles in the health of their animal hosts. Despite the importance of maintaining a healthy microbiome, little is known of how natural microbial communities form and persist. This EMBO-funded project aims to understand the genetic factors underlying microbiome organization, using a social insect model (bees) that mimics many aspects of more complex, intractable systems such as that of the human microbiome.

This work will explore two main areas:

• The role of cell-to-cell interaction factors between members of the microbiome, and
• How these factors vary across environments, host populations, and between host species.

Using innovative approaches and multidisciplinary methods, including high-throughput genomics, microscopy, and in vivo experiments, this project will integrate findings across scales, from the molecular level to the ecological and evolutionary levels. Ultimately, this work will help us understand how stable microbial communities form and persist, and help uncover ways to improve microbiome resilience in the face of pathogenic invaders and environmental perturbations. Thus, this research will have broad implications across all fields where microbiomes play important roles including in agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology.

Starting date:  January 2022                   |    Funding obtained: 50.000 €