Month 1
Introduction
The Importance of Microbial Helper Bacteria in Establishing Mycorrhizal Communities
Mycorrhizal fungi are essential for the growth and survival of most plants. They form a symbiotic relationship with the roots of plants, providing nutrients and water in exchange for carbohydrates produced by the plant. However, the establishment and maintenance of mycorrhizal communities can be influenced by a variety of factors, including the presence of microbial helper bacteria.
Microbial helper bacteria are non-mycorrhizal organisms that interact with mycorrhizal fungi and the roots of plants. They can influence the establishment of mycorrhizal communities in several ways. For example, some helper bacteria can promote the growth and activity of mycorrhizal fungi by producing compounds that stimulate their development. Other helper bacteria can protect mycorrhizal fungi from harmful pathogens or predators, thereby improving their chances of survival.
One important example of the role of microbial helper bacteria in mycorrhizal communities is in coniferous forests. Conifers, such as pine trees, have a particular type of mycorrhizal fungi called ectomycorrhizal fungi. These fungi form a sheath around the roots of the tree, providing it with nutrients and water. In turn, the tree supplies the fungi with carbohydrates produced through photosynthesis.
Recent studies have shown that microbial helper bacteria can play a crucial role in establishing and functioning ectomycorrhizal communities in conifers. For example, some helper bacteria can increase the rate of carbon cycling and carbon sequestration in coniferous trees by promoting the growth and activity of ectomycorrhizal fungi. This is because the fungi are more efficient at absorbing carbon from the atmosphere than the roots of the tree alone.
In addition, microbial helper bacteria can also modulate carbon sequestration in coniferous trees by influencing the balance between carbon storage and carbon release in the tree. For example, some helper bacteria can stimulate the production of polyphenols in the tree, while fungi can produce volatile organic compounds that affect the plants root development. which can help protect it from herbivores and pathogens. However, polyphenols can also inhibit the growth of mycorrhizal fungi and reduce their ability to absorb carbon.
For that reason, microbial helper bacteria are important players in the establishment and functioning of mycorrhizal communities, particularly in coniferous forests. Promoting the growth and activity of mycorrhizal fungi can enhance carbon sequestration in trees and contribute to the overall health and productivity of forest ecosystems. Nevertheless, the precise mechanisms behind the root colonization coordinated by MHBs remains elusive.
Previous observations in pine trees, has demonstrated that MHBs adapt their biomass and motility metabolism while initiating the root colonization of pine roots. This could mean that large adaptive genetic expression is experienced in the colonizing bacterial populations affecting their abundance and diversity, and well as inducing further chemical and physical changes in plants roots that might have a larger impact that the sole physical interactions with their surrounding substrate.
In 2022 researchers from Lund University in Sweden developed a microfluidics system for assessing the diversity of the patio temporal organization or soil microorganisms. With a similar strategy, we intend to address our question by using electronic environmental sensors that provide information remotely and in real time of multiple environmental factors that determine how this symbiotic association is affected by climate change.
IoT for Ecosystems : Agri-IoT-LoRa
A collaboration with Ross Satchell and his team of engineers at Microchip Technology, (Chandler Az)
The Internet of Things (IoT) is perhaps team one of the technologies that we will see unfold more conspicuously in the following decades. The idea that machines could communicate and take decisions isn't new, but it has become more agile and the data they control is more relevant to our daily activities in recent years. Today, the benefits of machine-machine communication are broadly adopted, from noise detectors; sensors; alarms; and supply and production checkpoints, machines send and receive crucial information that provides security and certainty of the millions of transactions that occur every day: It could be the food and air quality to the wireless e-commerce and banking.
Ross Satchell an engineer for Microchip Technology and his team, in conjunction with ASU students have previously developed a modular device named Agri-IoT-LoRa. This little marvel is key to the development of our project. Agri-IoT is capable of sensing humidity and temperature in the field, and it has wireless capabilities through the LoRa technology. One of the current limitations of environmental sensors is the retrieval of the information they collect. In some cases, they rely on costly cellular or satellite communications once they are deployed.
Remote sensing technologies are crucial in the study of ecosystems when ecologists and researchers can not remain for a long time in the field, but need continuous monitoring of multiple variables or the ecosystems of study.
Agri-IoT-LoRa does exactly that, its earlier version is capable of sensing temperature and soil humidity and is LoRa enabled, which means, it doesn't require to connect to a cellphone network or use expensive satellite connectivity. Instead is uses LoRa a wireless communication protocol that is very similar to our homes WiFi but more powerful. You can learn more about LoRa here.
Agri-IoT-LoRA has been successfully tested for agricultural applications, and it has been proven to communicate Austin and Phoenix sending environmental information in real time!
Agri-IoT-LoRA has tremendous potential, and for that reason we approached Ross and his team to suggest to further additions that could be helpful to our project: Incorporate CO2 sensors to perform soil respiration, pH, atmospheric pressure and conductivity. Soil respiration is a critical value for assessing how microorganisms living underneath in the soil modulate their growth. With multiple variables we could potentially have a clearer picture on the dynamics of theses microorganisms while retrieving data and in real time from remote sampling locations.
Ross and his team proposal for the new design will be uploaded soon!
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