This episode takes us on a journey into the vast world of Earth's microbial life with our distinguished guest, Dr. Averill. Microbes, particularly soil fungi, play an instrumental role in driving essential processes across diverse ecosystems - from our own bodies to vast forests. However, the biodiversity of these microscopic powerhouses is increasingly under threat. Dr. Averill's groundbreaking work advocates for the conservation, restoration, and active incorporation of soil microbes into managed landscapes. By analyzing data from 80 experiments, his team showed that restoring native soil microbiomes could accelerate plant biomass production by an average of 64% across ecosystems. Such restoration not only boosts and stabilizes yields in agriculture and forestry but also plays a critical role in preserving microbial biodiversity. As we navigate the emerging markets of ecosystem microbiome engineering, it's crucial to avoid past mistakes and prevent the creation of microbial monocultures. Join us as we delve into this exciting field of research, which holds the potential to revolutionize ecosystem management and conservation.

Key Words: Microbial life, biodiversity, microbiome, conservation, restoration, soil fungi, plant biomass, ecosystem management, agriculture, forestry, microbial biodiversity, ecosystem vulnerability, pathogens, extreme events, microbial monocultures, ecosystem microbiome engineering.

Averill, C., Anthony, M.A., Baldrian, P. et al. Defending Earth’s terrestrial microbiome. Nat Microbiol (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-022-01228-3