Incorporating microbiome analyses can enhance conservation of threatened species and ecosystem functions
(2025) In Science of the Total Environment 970. p.178826-178826- Abstract
Conservation genomics is a rapidly growing subdiscipline of conservation biology that uses genome-wide information to inform management of biodiversity at all levels. Such efforts typically focus on species or systems of conservation interest, but rarely consider associated microbes. At least three major approaches have been used to study how microorganisms broadly contribute to conservation areas: (1) diversity surveys map out microbial species distribution patterns in a variety of hosts, natural environments or regions; (2) functional surveys associate microbial communities with factors of interest, such as host health, symbiotic interactions, environmental characteristics, ecosystem processes, and biological invasions; and (3)... (More)
Conservation genomics is a rapidly growing subdiscipline of conservation biology that uses genome-wide information to inform management of biodiversity at all levels. Such efforts typically focus on species or systems of conservation interest, but rarely consider associated microbes. At least three major approaches have been used to study how microorganisms broadly contribute to conservation areas: (1) diversity surveys map out microbial species distribution patterns in a variety of hosts, natural environments or regions; (2) functional surveys associate microbial communities with factors of interest, such as host health, symbiotic interactions, environmental characteristics, ecosystem processes, and biological invasions; and (3) manipulative experiments examine the response of changes to microbial communities or determine the functional roles of specific microbes within hosts or communities by adding, removing, or genetically modifying microbes. In practice, multiple approaches are often applied simultaneously. The results from all three conservation genomics approaches can be used to help design practical interventions and improve management actions, some of which we highlight below. However, experimental manipulations allow for more robust causal inferences and should be the ultimate goal of future work. Here we discuss how further integration of microbial research of a host's microbiome and of free living microbes into conservation biology will be an essential advancement for conservation of charismatic organisms and ecosystem functions in light of ongoing global environmental change.
(Less)
- author
- organization
- publishing date
- 2025-03-06
- type
- Contribution to journal
- publication status
- epub
- subject
- in
- Science of the Total Environment
- volume
- 970
- pages
- 178826 - 178826
- publisher
- Elsevier
- external identifiers
-
- pmid:40054249
- scopus:85219498020
- ISSN
- 1879-1026
- DOI
- 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178826
- language
- English
- LU publication?
- yes
- additional info
- Copyright © 2025 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
- id
- 96a06e0b-43c9-4e81-b6b0-587b272cb206
- date added to LUP
- 2025-03-12 12:41:24
- date last changed
- 2025-07-17 15:17:54
@article{96a06e0b-43c9-4e81-b6b0-587b272cb206,
abstract = {{<p>Conservation genomics is a rapidly growing subdiscipline of conservation biology that uses genome-wide information to inform management of biodiversity at all levels. Such efforts typically focus on species or systems of conservation interest, but rarely consider associated microbes. At least three major approaches have been used to study how microorganisms broadly contribute to conservation areas: (1) diversity surveys map out microbial species distribution patterns in a variety of hosts, natural environments or regions; (2) functional surveys associate microbial communities with factors of interest, such as host health, symbiotic interactions, environmental characteristics, ecosystem processes, and biological invasions; and (3) manipulative experiments examine the response of changes to microbial communities or determine the functional roles of specific microbes within hosts or communities by adding, removing, or genetically modifying microbes. In practice, multiple approaches are often applied simultaneously. The results from all three conservation genomics approaches can be used to help design practical interventions and improve management actions, some of which we highlight below. However, experimental manipulations allow for more robust causal inferences and should be the ultimate goal of future work. Here we discuss how further integration of microbial research of a host's microbiome and of free living microbes into conservation biology will be an essential advancement for conservation of charismatic organisms and ecosystem functions in light of ongoing global environmental change.</p>}},
author = {{Walling, Lauren Kezia and Gamache, Matthew H and González-Pech, Raúl A and Harwood, Valerie J and Ibrahim-Hashim, Arig and Jung, Jun Hee and Lewis, David B and Margres, Mark J and McMinds, Ryan and Rasheed, Kiran and Reis, Frank and van Riemsdijk, Isolde and Santiago-Alarcon, Diego and Sarmiento, Carolina and Whelan, Christopher J and Zalamea, Paul-Camilo and Parkinson, John Everett and Richards, Christina L}},
issn = {{1879-1026}},
language = {{eng}},
month = {{03}},
pages = {{178826--178826}},
publisher = {{Elsevier}},
series = {{Science of the Total Environment}},
title = {{Incorporating microbiome analyses can enhance conservation of threatened species and ecosystem functions}},
url = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178826}},
doi = {{10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178826}},
volume = {{970}},
year = {{2025}},
}