Caatinga Microbiome Initiative: an effort of Brazilian researchers to explore the soil microbiome to measure and facilitate ecosystem recovery

By ademir araujo, Federal University of Piauí (BRAZil)

From left to right: Ademir Araujo, Vania Melo, Lucas Mendes, Erika Valente, Arthur Prudencio, Mauricio Cherubim.

The Brazilian Caatinga is the most biodiverse semiarid ecosystem worldwide and is the only biome entirely unique to Brazil. Like most drylands the Brazilian Caatinga experiences frequent droughts, high temperatures, and concentrated rainfall which paired with fragile soils accelerates soil degradation. This causes soil microorganisms, which play an essential role in soil quality and health, to be severely affected by drought, high temperatures and soil degradation.  To monitor the effect of degradation and potential benefit of restoration on soil biodiversity, strategies for restoration have been implemented for decades and focused on soil management practices, such as grazing exclusion, terracing, and agroforestry. However, several studies have shown that it takes several years to restore the soil microbiome. In addition, several gaps remain unexplored yet. To start, researchers need to assess the core microbiome, including viruses, and protists. Native and resilient microbiome may allow researchers to create efficient SynComs to aid in restoration of these fragile communities. To address these knowledge gaps, Brazilian researchers created the Caatinga Microbiome Initiative (CMI) with the mission of understanding how soil microbial communities change during desertification and restoration, and how manipulating these communities could accelerate ecosystem recovery. CMI works on two key approaches: (1) using microbiomes as diagnostic tools to assess the success of restoration strategies and (2) manipulating microbial communities to facilitate ecosystem recovery. This initiative employs molecular-based techniques, such as metagenomics and metatranscriptomics, to study the functional potential of soil microbiomes in degraded and restored areas. This approach will allow researchers to better understand the microbiome’s role in carbon sequestration, nutrient cycling, and soil stability, thus helping to refine restoration practices. Specifically, CMI will explore these under-studied microbial groups and their functions to gain a deeper understanding of how soil microbiomes support ecosystem resilience. It also aims to establish a comprehensive, interdisciplinary network to investigate how soil microbiomes function in response to different restoration strategies. The initiative's findings will contribute to the development of sustainable land management practices in Brazil and serve as a model for combating desertification in other parts of the world, benefiting over 250 million people globally.

Read the paper here:

Araujo, A.S.F., de Medeiros, E.V., Costa, D.P., et al. (2024). Caatinga Microbiome Initiative: disentangling the soil microbiome across areas under desertification and restoration in the Brazilian drylands. Restoration Ecology, e14298. https://doi.org/10.1111/rec.14298