Theodore Muth

Urban Microbial Ecology

Our lab uses DNA sequence data, in combination with culture-based bacterial analyses, to learn how microbial communities in urban environments are impacted by human activity. While only a small fraction of bacteria in most microbial communities can be cultured under laboratory conditions, total community DNA collected from environmental samples can be used as an indicator of the presence and relative abundance of most microorganisms, as well as the metabolic pathways and virulence factors represented within of the community.

Our lab uses DNA sequence data, in combination with culture-based bacterial analyses, to learn how microbial communities in urban environments are impacted by human activity. While only a small fraction of bacteria in most microbial communities can be cultured under laboratory conditions, total community DNA collected from environmental samples can be used as an indicator of the presence and relative abundance of most microorganisms, as well as the metabolic pathways and virulence factors represented within of the community.