S74: Application of microbial ecology for industrial purposes

Recent availability of innovative cultivation and molecular techniques has allowed microbial driven processes to be studied at different levels of resolution, e.g. from examining the metabolic versatility of a single-cell to the collective functions carried out by a microbial community.  The various approaches have further elucidated the role of microbes in their natural habitats. High-throughput technologies, for instance, have generated massive amounts of data on microbial community diversity and dynamics.  Regardless of the approaches used, it is increasingly recognized that microbial populations should be studied under the context of the habitats they are observed and as collective microbial consortia as it is likely that different microbial functions are accomplished by the cooperative efforts of microorganisms.  With the combined knowledge of ecophysiology, these data offer opportunities to examine interactions among different microbial populations that impact functions of interest.  Various microbial activities of potential interest to industry include product synthesis and industrial waste management as well as those that could be a bottleneck/inhibitor to industrial processes.  The knowledge gained from microbial ecology can be applied to industrial settings in order to better appreciate the microbial heterogeneity at different scales along time and space which could potentially lead to improvements in engineering designs and product stability. An improved understanding of the ecology of the microorganisms in industrial settings can help improve process control, product quality, and cost or risk assessment strategies.  Several examples will be covered in which industrial environments were characterized via molecular ecology.