Meet The Microbiologist - The Scientists Behind The Microbiology

Dr. Mallory Choudoir, microbial ecologist and evolutionary biologist at the University of Massachusetts Amherst shares how she leverages microbial culture collections to infer ecological and evolutionary responses to warming soil temperatures. She discusses complexities of the soil microbiome and microbial dispersal dynamics, and introduces fundamental concepts about the intersection between microbes and social equity. Ashley’s Biggest Takeaways: Microbial culture collections are fundamental resources, serving as libraries where diverse species of microbes are identified, characterized and preserved in pure, viable form. Culture collections ensure conservation of species diversity and sustainable use of the collected microbes. For soil microbiologists, like Mallory Choudoir, culture collections provide the opportunity to connect patterns of genomic variation and microbial physiology to the conditions under which a particular microbe was isolated. Soil is a complex environment from the perspective of a microbe