Doctoral Dissertation Research: Factors Influencing Ecological Dynamics of the Human Gut Microbiome

人体被数以万亿计的微生物定居，这些微生物统称为人类微生物群。研究表明，我们的微生物群可能会影响从免疫功能到情绪的广泛的生理功能和健康。然而，关于这些微生物如何相互作用，以及这些相互作用如何影响人类生物学，仍然有许多悬而未决的问题。通过研究工业化和非工业化人类社区中微生物相互作用和功能的大型网络，这项博士论文研究将审查人类肠道微生物群落中生态多样性的程度，以及生活方式的差异如何影响这种多样性。研究小组将向参与社区提供实践讲习班，讨论他们的参与如何有助于推动微生物组研究。该项目还将支持STEM中无代表群体的学生培训和个人指导，支持更广泛地参与快速发展的生物学研究领域。生活在西方工业化生活方式的人类与生活在更传统的、非工业生活方式的人，如来自发展中国家的狩猎采集者和农村农民，有着明显不同的微生物群。早期的研究已经确定，饮食、抗生素的使用以及人类与其他动物之间的接触都对微生物群的多样性产生了重大影响。在一些这样的研究中，估计微生物多样性的方式并不一定能说明微生物群是复杂的生态系统这一事实。在这项研究中，研究人员将调查俄克拉荷马州家庭农场中人和猪的微生物群落的生态动力学和微生物相互作用，并将它们与非洲国家布基纳法索的人和猪进行比较。通过将工业化国家的人和猪与发展中国家进行比较，研究人员将记录生活方式对人类微生物群的影响，重点是人与动物的相互作用。通过调查肠道微生物群中功能冗余和弹性的生态动力学，该项目将促进对复杂微生物生态的了解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The human body is colonized by trillions of microorganisms collectively known as the human microbiome. Research suggests that our microbiome may influence a wide range of physiological functions and health, from immune function to mood. However, there are still many unanswered questions about how these microbes interact with each other and how those interactions affect human biology. By studying large networks of microbial interactions and functions in industrialized and non-industrialized human communities, this doctoral dissertation research will examine the extent of ecological diversity in human gut microbiomes and how differences in lifestyle impact this diversity. The research team will provide hands-on workshops to participant communities to discuss how their participation helps to advance microbiome research. The project will also support student training and mentoring of individuals from unrepresented groups in STEM, supporting broader participation in a rapidly developing area of biological research.Humans living a Western-industrialized lifestyle have markedly different microbiomes than those living a more traditional, non-industrial lifestyle, such as hunter-gatherers and rural farmers from developing countries. Earlier studies have determined that diet, antibiotic use, and contact between humans and other animals all have major impacts on microbiome diversity. In a number of these studies, the way in which microbial diversity was estimated did not necessarily account for the fact that microbiomes are complex ecologies. In this study, the researchers will investigate ecological dynamics and microbial interactions in microbiomes from humans and pigs on family farms in Oklahoma and compare them to humans and pigs from the African country of Burkina Faso. By comparing both humans and pigs in an industrialized country to a developing country, the researchers will document the effects of lifestyle on the human microbiome with a focus on human-animal interactions. By investigating the ecological dynamics of functional redundancy and resilience in gut microbiomes, the project will advance knowledge about complex microbial ecology.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.