This award provides funds for a research starter grant to assist a recipient of an NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellowship in Microbial Biology in establishing an independent research program after obtaining a tenure-traack position at an eligible institution in the United States. Funds are being used to provide supplies and equipment for research on fundamental and molecular aspects of microbial diversity and symbiosis. Specifically, the mechanism and impact of the microbial degradation of bacterial signaling compounds in vitro and in soils will be examined, as will the form, function, and phylogeny of microbes associated with termite hindguts.
