Understanding the microbiomes

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy hosted a May 13 event on microbiomes—communities of microorganisms that live on and in people, plants, soil, oceans and the atmosphere—featuring presentations from four scientists including UGA's Samantha Joye:

Microbiomes maintain the healthy function of ecosystems, influencing diverse features of the planet from human health to climate change and food security. During the event, the Obama administration announced steps to advance the understanding of microbiome behavior and enable the protection and restoration of healthy microbiomes across diverse ecosystems around the world.

Joye's presentation reviewed some of her research team's recent discoveries involving microbiome research in Earth's oceans.

"Surprisingly little is known about the diversity and activity of microbial communities in these deep-water environments or how the habitat microbiology influences and interacts with the biology of larger animals like deep-water corals, mussels, clams and tubeworms, that inhabit these ecosystems," said Joye, professor of marine sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Arts and Sciences.

Our scientists in leading international roles has become familiar as they continue to inform decision-making at the highest levels of the U.S. goverment and add to UGA's stature as a world-class institution. Great work, Dr. Joye, and thanks for your tireless efforts to understand extreme habitats and their vulnerabilities, and to share that understanding with the wider world. Great scholarship at work.

Image: Ocean micro-organisms, via the new scientist.