Engineering and characterization of function in microbial communities

Abstract

In the second part of this thesis work we explore microbial communities associated a novel Active modular phytoremediation system (AMPS). AMPS presents a unique growth environment for microbial communities because of the hydroponic nature of the bulk-media in which plants are grown, the absence of soil in the growth environment and its location in an indoor environment. We determined the phylogenetic and functional profile of the AMPS-associated microbiota using next generation sequencing of the 16S rRNA amplicon amplified from the communities. We investigated factors that contributed to variation in the AMPS microbiota and were particularly interested in examining how the absence of soil in the modules affected community composition. Presence of soil in AMPS-type bio-walls has been co-related with growth of harmful mold spores and plant module replacement.