Strategies for Stability in Multicellular Microbial Consortia: Genomic Recombination and Rapid Evolution of Defense Systems

This project will develop a quantitative modeling framework to identify and predict evolutionary processes that account for and could be used to control the responses of microbial systems. 

We seek to answer the overarching question: how does genetic recombination (either homologous or horizontal gene transfer) influence microbiome community structure and function? The microbiome we investigate, macroscopic salt marsh bacterial aggregates known as the “pink berry” consortia, provides a tractable natural model from which we are learning the principles governing community resilience and stability in the face of both biotic and abiotic challenges—such as phage predation, salt and UV stress, and temperature fluctuations.