The microbiome in a changing world
Animal-associated microbial communities have received considerable attention in the last decade and our understanding of its roles for host’s health is growing fast. However, less is known about how changes in the microbiome due to urbanization, pollution and climate change affect host’s health and physiology.
I use experimental ecosystems and metagenomics to understand how rising temperatures impact the gut microbiota of insect detritivores and herbivores, and to predict how these microbiota respond and adapt to a changing environment.
Eco-evolutionary dynamics of microbial consortia
We use simplified microbial consortia through selective enrichment coupled with long-term serial transfers to understand the mechanisms that generate and maintain diversity in microbial communities and the mechanisms by which diversity contributes to community stability.