Vincent Milesi : PEAT : Predicting microbial Ecosystem Adaptation using metagenome-based Thermodynamic modeling in near-natural peatlands

Summary of the mission

PEAT : Predicting microbial Ecosystem Adaptation using metagenome-based Thermodynamic modeling in near-natural peatlands

Achieving the objectives of the CARBONIUM project requires a better understanding of the impact environmental changes have on the microbial communities controlling carbon cycling at the aquatic-terrestrial interface. The PEAT project aims to develop an innovative thermodynamic model linking quantitatively the chemical and taxonomic composition of microbial communities to the environmental conditions of near-natural peatlands. The 6-weeks mobility project will bring together the expertise in microbiology of the School of Earth Science of Bristol (UK) with that in thermodynamics of Vincent Milesi (VM) of the Institut des Sciences de la Terre d’Orléans. Based on the global peatland metagenomic dataset assembled by Casey Bryce’s team, the chemical stability of potential proteome will be calculated as a function of physicochemical variables to test the ability of the mecanistic modelling to predict microbial evolution. A Python-based workflow from data analysis to modelling will be made accessible using Jupyter Notebooks based on the FAIR principles, enabling the FairCarboN community to deploy the modelling approach on various environments.