Small but bold: harnessing microbes to boost drought tolerance in grasses

干旱威胁着全世界的草原，需要新的适应和复原力建设方法来保护草原提供的丰富的生态系统服务。土壤微生物提供了一个未开发的机会，以提高干旱生存的草。然而，为了利用这种潜力，我们首先需要确定有助于植物耐旱的关键微生物功能。该项目旨在确定微生物介导的生态和功能机制，支持干旱下的草性能。这些知识将为加速设计和实施有效的微生物操作和管理策略奠定基础，从而提高我们在保护这一重要生态系统方面的成功率。

Drought threats grasslands worldwide, and new adaptation and resilience building approaches are required to protect the wealth of ecosystem services provided by grasslands. Soil microbes offer an untapped opportunity to enhance drought survival in grasses. Yet, to harness this potential, we first need to identify the key microbial functions that contribute to plant tolerance to drought. This project aims to determine the microbe-mediated ecological and functional mechanisms that underpin grass performance under drought. This knowledge will lay the foundation to accelerate the design and implementation of effective microbial manipulations and management strategies, and thus increase our success in protecting this important ecosystem.