VOLT seminar by Noah Fierer

Center for Volatile Interactions (VOLT) will host an exciting seminar by renowned microbial ecologist Professor Noah Fierer (University of Colorado Boulder), titled: “Never invited to the feast: The Ecology of Oligotrophic Bacteria in Soil.”

 Professor Fierer’s recent research explores the ecology of bacteria, fungi, viruses and archaea in both natural and engineered systems such as soil, buildings, plants, atmosphere, and insects. Noah Fierer is known for his innovative approaches to test key hypotheses in microbial ecology. This has led to prestigious awards, and an impressive impact on microbial ecology. You will find a large number of landmark papers reflecting Noah´s innovative mindset and deep understanding of microbial ecology by browsing at ‪Noah Fierer - ‪Google Scholar.

Abstract

A common assumption is that most bacteria grow quickly, or are at least capable of rapid growth under optimal conditions. While this assumption may be valid for many pathogens or bacteria living in resource rich environments (like the human gut) – it is by no means universal. Many bacteria have been selected for efficient growth, not rapid growth. Unfortunately, these ‘oligotrophic’ bacteria, despite being dominant in many environments, remain very difficult to study. Using the soil environment as an example, will explain why most soil bacteria are likely oligotrophic and what this means for our understanding of these communities and their contributions to ecosystem processes. I will then discuss what we know, or think we know, about the strategies used by bacteria to grow in resource-limited conditions. I will finish by discussing recent work investigating microbial diversity in Antarctic soils, one of the more oligotrophic environments on Earth.