FAU Lands $1.3M NSF Grant to Boost Dryland Soil Quality Amid Climate Stressors

Drylands, found across every continent, cover about 45% of the Earth’s land surface and support 38% of the human population. The NSF grant will enable scientists to enhance understanding of climate resistance of individual microbes and to improve microbial remediations to reduce soil degradation under climate change.

It Isn’t the Picky Eaters that Drive Soil Microbial Metabolism

How do microbes in soil communities interact to release nutrients from material in the soil? Researchers have discovered that microbes able to break down one type of available food, chitin, are critical for the community’s success but do not necessarily grow the fastest. Instead, species with the ability to use a wide range of food sources produced by other members of the community become the most abundant. The researchers also found that individual microbes can change their behavior when grown alone or in the community.

NSF Taps Danforth Center to Lead New Institute to Advance the Restoration of Natural and Agricultural Ecosystems

The Donald Danforth Plant Science Center today announced a $12.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to establish the New Roots for Restoration Biology Integration Institute (NRR-BII).