Research seminar: BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN ECOLOGY AND MICROBIOLOGY: THE ROLE OF HOST-MICROBIOME INTERACTIONS IN MARINE ECOSYSTEMS

Humans rely on ecosystem goods and services provided by the ocean. Thus, understanding how marine ecosystems function and how to manage them is crucial. Microorganisms comprise the bulk of the diversity and biomass in the ocean, but prior to the recent revolution in environmental gene sequencing technologies (‘omics’) many of the key concepts and questions in modern ecology could simply not be addressed for microbes. Despite this technological advancement, the integration between studies of microorganisms and the well-established theory and practice of “macrobial” ecology remains a fundamental challenge. A key question is: Are ecological principles for microbial communities similar to those of higher organisms, are they somehow fundamentally different? In this context, my research aims at bridging the disparate fields of molecular microbiology and benthic ecology, focusing on host-microbiome interactions. This approach is necessary in order to understand the ecology and function of “holobionts” (host plus their microbiome) that form the biogenic structure of coastal ecosystems, such as seaweeds, seagrasses and corals, because impacts on the interaction between these hosts and their associated microbiome can cascade throughout an entire ecosystem. Critically, such approach can be used to build resilience of these key holobionts in the face of environmental change. I will use seaweed forests, the dominant biogenic habitat on temperate rocky shores, to illustrate how the gap between microbial and macrobial ecology can be bridged, and how that integration can inform the management of coastal systems. Finally, the current state of many coastal systems requires going beyond conservation to active intervention, and this is particularly true for habitat-formers such as seaweeds. I will discuss recent outcomes of ‘Operation Crayweed’, a project that brings together scientists, managers and the general public to restore Sydney’s underwater forests. 

Seminario organizado por el Departamento de Biodiversidad y Biología Evolutiva del Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales (MNCN), CSIC.