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Social evolution in microbial ecosystems

Objective

"Over the last decades, technological advances in DNA sequencing have revealed an astonishing diversity in the microbial world. Whether in soil, in waste-water treatment plants, on the surfaces of leaves or lining the inside of the human gut, thousands of microbial species have been found to co-exist. The ability to disentangle the interactions between these species and how they influence each other's survival will aid in both the understanding and control of microbial ecosystems.

The goal of this project is to create a predictive framework of evolving social interactions within microbial ecosystems. This will involve the integration of ecological network theory and social evolution theory, two fields that remain largely separate. The predictions of our model will then be applied to a test case microbial ecosystem used for the treatment of industrial waste. Our long-term goal is to develop methods to control real microbial ecosystems. Due to the ubiquity of microbes, we expect there to be many future practical applications for the results of our project. This includes the design and optimization of waste-water treatment plants, the control of microbial infections in humans and the engineering of fertilizers to increase crop efficiency."

Call for proposal

FP7-PEOPLE-2011-IEF
See other projects for this call

Coordinator

THE CHANCELLOR, MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF OXFORD
EU contribution
€ 200 371,80
Address
WELLINGTON SQUARE UNIVERSITY OFFICES
OX1 2JD Oxford
United Kingdom

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Region
South East (England) Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Oxfordshire
Activity type
Higher or Secondary Education Establishments
Administrative Contact
Gill Wells (Ms.)
Links
Total cost
No data