Abstract:
Microbial species are currently spreading across various ecosystems at an unprecedented rate, leading to their inclusion in the Invasive Alien Species Assessment list provided by the IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). Microbial invasion is a key process that influences the composition, dynamics, and stability of microbial communities. However, the specific mechanisms driving species interactions during microbial invasions, especially in cases of community-driven invasions (such as community coalescence), remain largely unexplored. In my presentation, I will explore the ecology of both single-species and multispecies-driven invasions within the context of community assembly. Using experimental evidence, I will initially explore how scenarios of single-species invasion can help us understand the process of community coalescence. Next, I will examine the mechanisms behind community coalescence, with a focus on understanding the outcomes for both the source (invading) and resident microbial communities. Finally, I will discuss how ecological principles governing species interactions can be leveraged to facilitate the establishment of invasive species. These findings offer valuable insights for comprehending and predicting the implications of human-mediated microbial invasions, such as the application of individual microbial strains or synthetic communities in agriculture and human health.

Bio:
Joana Falcao Salles is a full professor in Microbial Community Ecology at the Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) at the University of Groningen, the Netherlands. She holds a degree in Agronomic Engineering and a master's in Plant Production, both from the Federal Rural University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRRJ), Brazil. Following her studies in Brazil, she pursued her PhD at Leiden University, the Netherlands (2005), and then spent time as a postdoctoral fellow at Universite Lyon 1, France (2005-2008). In 2008, she returned to the Netherlands to join the University of Groningen, at the GELIFES. She also holds an Honorary Professor position at the University of Nanjing, China, and sits on the executive board of the International Society for Microbial Ecology (ISME) and the ISME Climate Change Committee. As a microbial community ecologist, she investigates how soil and host-associated microbiomes are formed and how microbiome diversity and dynamics affect the ecosystem function, host ecology, and evolution. Her research has largely contributed to theoretical and experimental advances in the field of microbial community ecology, including a better understanding of soil microbial invasions and the complexity of the microbiome in an agricultural context. Her approach involves a combination of experimental procedures (field, microcosm, mesocosm, manipulative experiments), modeling, microbiological and molecular techniques, and metagenomic and bioinformatic approaches to address both fundamental and applied questions in areas like agriculture and bio-based economy. Throughout her career, she has coordinated several international and national projects and authored over 130 papers in peer-reviewed journals. She has also mentored and supervised over 30 early career scientists, several of whom now hold academic positions. Her research group currently comprises 2 postdocs, 18 PhD students, and several master’s and bachelor’s students.