NSF Postdoctoral Fellowship in Biology: The Effects of Microbiome Ecological and Evolutionary Origin on Plant-Microbiome (Co)Evolution

Batarseh, Tiffany N, Irvine CA

Investigators

Abstract

This action funds an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Biology for FY 2021, Integrative Research Investigating the Rules of Life Governing Interactions Between Genomes, Environment and Phenotypes. The fellowship supports research and training of the fellow that will contribute to the area of Rules of Life in innovative ways. The fellow will research the evolution and ecology of microbiomes, which are complex microbial communities critical for proper ecosystem functioning and the health of the complex organisms they often associate with. In agriculture, plant-associated microbiomes have been demonstrated to influence plant health and response to environmental factors. This project will work towards establishing the modes of microbiome evolution and their consequences on plant fitness in order to establish agricultural practices that maintain both plant and microbiome health for greater crop management and food production. Currently, the global demand for food is expected to increase by 35-56% in the next 30 years, highlighting the need for the reevaluation of agricultural practices such that plant-microbiome fitness as well as agricultural productivity and sustainability are maximized. To this end, it is imperative that we understand the factors that influence microbiome evolution and their effects on plant-microbiome interactions, adaptation, and fitness. By leveraging experimental coevolution approaches, this project will determine whether a microbiome’s previous selection environment influences microbial community assembly, function, and adaptive potential when associated with a new plant host. Specifically, the fellow seeks to answer two questions: (1) does a microbial community’s previous associations with heterospecific or conspecific plant hosts influence community adaptation on subsequent hosts?; and (2) what are the consequences of microbiome adaptation to common agricultural chemicals on microbiome function and plant host fitness? To do so, a synthetic microbial community composed of bacteria isolated from the tomato phyllosphere will be evolved on conspecific, heterospecific, or alternating plant hosts with or without common agricultural chemicals before returning to its conspecific host. After coevolution, the genetic and functional changes of the microbial community and the fitness of the host plant will be evaluated to uncover how and when microbiome origin and interaction history will affect microbiome evolution and plant-host fitness. Additionally, the proposed research will allow for training opportunities for undergraduate students through their involvement in experimentation, data analysis, and research presentations. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.