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.
Tag: soil microbes
Researchers Directly Detect Interactions Between Viruses and their Bacterial Hosts in Soils
Bacteriophages are common in soil ecosystems, but many of these phages and the bacteria they target have not been identified.
Improving Climate Predictions by Unlocking the Secrets of Soil Microbes
A team of scientists led by Berkeley Lab has developed a new model that incorporates genetic information from microbes.
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.
A Little Piece of Washington State Blasted Into Space This Week
Soil and its microbial inhabitants from Washington state are heading for the International Space Station.
Healthy soil, healthy farms
Scientists are figuring out what makes soils healthy, with big implications for the environment and agriculture
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).
In wild soil, predatory bacteria grow faster than their prey, NAU study shows
The study, led by Ecoss director Bruce Hungate and co-authored by many other NAU researchers, found that these predatory bacteria, which eat other bacteria, play an outsized role in how elements are stored in or released from soil.

How much fluorine is too much fluorine?
Research investigates how fluorine levels affect beneficial soil microbes