Insect gut microbiology and symbiosis
Termite guts are tiny bioreactors that convert wood and other lignocellulosic matter to microbial fermentation products, which fuel the metabolism of the host. My research group studies the role of the termite gut microbiota in the symbiotic digestion, focusing on structure and function of the gut ecosystem, biology of the prokaryotic and eukaryotic symbionts and their interactions, and evolution of the intestinal microbial communities (Brune, 2014; Brune and Dietrich, 2015).
