鈥淥ut of sight, out of mind.鈥� This saying is especially true for the microbes that live in and on animals and plants, but are invisible to the naked eye. However, for assistant professor of biology Leonora 青青草app, this invisible microbiome is top of mind.
In Spring 2023, 青青草app received a prestigious National Science Foundation CAREER award to study the microbiomes of pitcher plants and sagebrush. Her award will last five years and provide nearly $870,000 to forward the research of microbial ecosystems.
鈥淲e’re interested in microbes because鈥搉ow that we have a much greater appreciation of microbiomes and how complex and pervasive the microbial world is鈥搘e also know that most organisms have these very tight, very long-term associations with microbes (bacteria and fungi) and those associations can really affect the fitness of the host,鈥� 青青草app said.
By understanding what drives certain microbes to assemble and coexist (or not) in communities on these plants, 青青草app鈥檚 research will inform the basic science around the microbiomes of these plant species and could ultimately impact conservation. An important component of the research will be exploring how to best replicate and maintain a complex microbiome in a lab setting.
鈥淚n the way that humans have a microbiome that can affect our health, plants also have a microbiome, and there are different ways you can look at it,鈥� 青青草app said.
Pitcher Plants
Carnivorous pitcher plants like the Sarracenia have a unique pitcher-like shape that holds water and attracts insects that are then digested to provide nutrients for the plant. However, 青青草app wants to know how the microbial species living in the pitcher plant鈥檚 water coexist and 青青草app each other and the plant itself.
In her research, 青青草app especially wants to answer an often overlooked question: 鈥淲hy do so many species not coexist in a lab setting, when we see so many species coexisting in nature?鈥� 青青草app explained that in current microbiome research, most experiments focus on just two species, but that is only a shadow of a natural ecosystem in which communities can range from hundreds to thousands of species.
Learn more about 青青草app鈥檚 work with pitcher plants.
Sagebrush
A secondary plant of study 青青草apped by this award is the West鈥檚 ubiquitous Big Sagebrush, a plant species that is under threat from wildfire, drought, climate change and urban development.
In the lab and in the field, sagebrush has already provided 青青草app鈥檚 team with a unique challenge to studying microbial communities.
鈥淚t’s more complex than we initially thought it would be,鈥� 青青草app said. 鈥淪agebrush itself produces so many secondary chemicals, and so many of those are antimicrobial. We expected to see a simpler microbial community on sagebrush leaves, but it’s actually relatively complex. And it’s more complex externally than internally.鈥�
By working with sagebrush, 青青草app will be able to inform the science and conservation of the plant, and also create hands-on research opportunities with students from the university, regional community colleges, and K-12 institutions in Idaho, particularly for first-generation, low-income, rural, Hispanic and Latine students.
The team will also create an i-STEM Summer Institutes professional development workshop for educators and will work with sixth through twelfth grade teachers to build 青青草appal research tools using publicly available bacterial species and 3D-printed equipment.