Brajesh K. Singh | |
---|---|
Nationality | India, [1] Australia |
Occupations |
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Years active | 2003–present |
Known for | his work and contributions on terrestrial life, rhizospheres and soil microbiomes. |
Title | Distinguished Professor |
Board member of | President of the Global Initiative of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment [2] |
Awards | The Dorothy Jones Prize (2023), Humboldt Research Award (2019) [3] |
Academic background | |
Education | PhD (University of London) |
Alma mater | Imperial College, London (2003) [4] |
Thesis | Studies on interactions of some pesticides with soil microbial communities (2003) |
Academic work | |
Discipline | Soil science,functional ecology |
Sub-discipline | Soil biodiversity,agricultural soil science |
Institutions | Western Sydney University |
Main interests | soil and plant microbiomes,soil health,soil biodiversity,ecosystem functions,farm productivity,sustainable development,environmental protection and food security |
Brajesh K. Singh FAA,FSSSA is an Indian-Australian soil scientist,ecologist, [5] researcher and academic known for his work in functional ecology,microbiology,and soil biology. Singh is distinguished professor of soil biology at Western Sydney University (WSU)'s Hawkesbury Institute for the Environment, [6] and was the director of the Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation until 2023 at WSU. Singh won the 2023 Dorothy Jones Prize for microbiology,and Alexander von Humboldt Research award in 2019. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science. [7] [8] [9]
Singh graduated with a PhD from Imperial College,London,in 2003. After working for about ten years in Scotland,working at the Macaulay Institute in Aberdeen from 2002 to 2010,Singh moved to WSU in 2010,where he worked at various positions until 2015, [4] when he became the director of its the Global Centre for Land-Based Innovation. [8] In 2022,he was awarded the Distinguished Professor title after being named a Clarivate Highly Cited (HiCi) Researcher since (2021–2023) and winning the JA Prescott Medal in 2021. Singh was a member of the European Commission High Level Expert Group (HLEG) and chaired the FAO's International Network of Soil Biodiversity [7] [10] and is President of the Global Initiative of Sustainable Agriculture and Environment.
Singh won the 2023 Dorothy Jones Prize for microbiology for his research in microbial functional ecology,particularly focusing on soil microbial diversity and its impact on ecosystem functions under various natural and human-induced pressures. [5]
A biogeochemical cycle,or more generally a cycle of matter,is the movement and transformation of chemical elements and compounds between living organisms,the atmosphere,and the Earth's crust. Major biogeochemical cycles include the carbon cycle,the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle. In each cycle,the chemical element or molecule is transformed and cycled by living organisms and through various geological forms and reservoirs,including the atmosphere,the soil and the oceans. It can be thought of as the pathway by which a chemical substance cycles the biotic compartment and the abiotic compartments of Earth. The biotic compartment is the biosphere and the abiotic compartments are the atmosphere,lithosphere and hydrosphere.
Microbial ecology is the ecology of microorganisms:their relationship with one another and with their environment. It concerns the three major domains of life—Eukaryota,Archaea,and Bacteria—as well as viruses.
Organic matter,organic material,or natural organic matter refers to the large source of carbon-based compounds found within natural and engineered,terrestrial,and aquatic environments. It is matter composed of organic compounds that have come from the feces and remains of organisms such as plants and animals. Organic molecules can also be made by chemical reactions that do not involve life. Basic structures are created from cellulose,tannin,cutin,and lignin,along with other various proteins,lipids,and carbohydrates. Organic matter is very important in the movement of nutrients in the environment and plays a role in water retention on the surface of the planet.
The rhizosphere is the narrow region of soil or substrate that is directly influenced by root secretions and associated soil microorganisms known as the root microbiome. Soil pores in the rhizosphere can contain many bacteria and other microorganisms that feed on sloughed-off plant cells,termed rhizodeposition,and the proteins and sugars released by roots,termed root exudates. This symbiosis leads to more complex interactions,influencing plant growth and competition for resources. Much of the nutrient cycling and disease suppression by antibiotics required by plants occurs immediately adjacent to roots due to root exudates and metabolic products of symbiotic and pathogenic communities of microorganisms. The rhizosphere also provides space to produce allelochemicals to control neighbours and relatives.
Soil biology is the study of microbial and faunal activity and ecology in soil. Soil life,soil biota,soil fauna,or edaphon is a collective term that encompasses all organisms that spend a significant portion of their life cycle within a soil profile,or at the soil-litter interface. These organisms include earthworms,nematodes,protozoa,fungi,bacteria,different arthropods,as well as some reptiles,and species of burrowing mammals like gophers,moles and prairie dogs. Soil biology plays a vital role in determining many soil characteristics. The decomposition of organic matter by soil organisms has an immense influence on soil fertility,plant growth,soil structure,and carbon storage. As a relatively new science,much remains unknown about soil biology and its effect on soil ecosystems.
Soil ecology is the study of the interactions among soil organisms,and between biotic and abiotic aspects of the soil environment. It is particularly concerned with the cycling of nutrients,formation and stabilization of the pore structure,the spread and vitality of pathogens,and the biodiversity of this rich biological community.
In microbiology,the phyllosphere is the total above-ground surface of a plant when viewed as a habitat for microorganisms. The phyllosphere can be further subdivided into the caulosphere (stems),phylloplane (leaves),anthosphere (flowers),and carposphere (fruits). The below-ground microbial habitats are referred to as the rhizosphere and laimosphere. Most plants host diverse communities of microorganisms including bacteria,fungi,archaea,and protists. Some are beneficial to the plant,while others function as plant pathogens and may damage the host plant or even kill it.
The Max Planck Institute for Terrestrial Microbiology is a research institute for terrestrial microbiology in Marburg,Germany. It was founded in 1991 by Rudolf K. Thauer and is one of 80 institutes in the Max Planck Society (Max-Planck-Gesellschaft). Its sister institute is the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology,which was founded a year later in 1992 in Bremen.
Effective microorganisms (EM) are various blends of common predominantly anaerobic microorganisms in a carbohydrate-rich liquid carrier substrate of EM Research Organization,Inc.
The microbial loop describes a trophic pathway where,in aquatic systems,dissolved organic carbon (DOC) is returned to higher trophic levels via its incorporation into bacterial biomass,and then coupled with the classic food chain formed by phytoplankton-zooplankton-nekton. In soil systems,the microbial loop refers to soil carbon. The term microbial loop was coined by Farooq Azam,Tom Fenchel et al. in 1983 to include the role played by bacteria in the carbon and nutrient cycles of the marine environment.
In hydrology,oasification is the antonym to desertification by soil erosion. This technique has limited application and is normally considered for much smaller areas than those threatened by desertification.
Antje Boetius is a German marine biologist. She is a professor of geomicrobiology at the Max Planck Institute for Marine Microbiology,University of Bremen. Boetius received the Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz Prize in March 2009 for her study of sea bed microorganisms that affect the global climate. She is also the director of Germany's polar research hub,the Alfred Wegener Institute.
Microbial biogeography is a subset of biogeography,a field that concerns the distribution of organisms across space and time. Although biogeography traditionally focused on plants and larger animals,recent studies have broadened this field to include distribution patterns of microorganisms. This extension of biogeography to smaller scales—known as "microbial biogeography"—is enabled by ongoing advances in genetic technologies.
The root microbiome is the dynamic community of microorganisms associated with plant roots. Because they are rich in a variety of carbon compounds,plant roots provide unique environments for a diverse assemblage of soil microorganisms,including bacteria,fungi,and archaea. The microbial communities inside the root and in the rhizosphere are distinct from each other,and from the microbial communities of bulk soil,although there is some overlap in species composition.
Ellen Kandeler is a German biologist and agricultural scientist specialising in soil biology at University of Hohenheim. She also heads the Soil Biology area in the EU Biofector project.
Kristen M. DeAngelis is a professor in the department of Microbiology at the University of Massachusetts where she studies soil microbes in relation to climate change.
The plant microbiome,also known as the phytomicrobiome,plays roles in plant health and productivity and has received significant attention in recent years. The microbiome has been defined as "a characteristic microbial community occupying a reasonably well-defined habitat which has distinct physio-chemical properties. The term thus not only refers to the microorganisms involved but also encompasses their theatre of activity".
Slava Epstein is an American academic,researcher and entrepreneur working in the field of Microbial ecology. He is currently a professor in the biology department of Northeastern University and co-founder of NovoBiotic Pharmaceuticals. As a researcher his most covered contribution is the development of the Isolation chip (iChip) and the discovery of a new antibiotic,Teixobactin. Epstein's research has been published in many leading scientific journals including Nature and Science.
Chris Greening is a biochemist,microbiologist,and academic. He is a Professor of Microbiology and leads the One Health Microbiology group and Global Change Research Program of the Biomedicine Discovery Institute at Monash University in Melbourne,Australia. He is most known for his work on the basis,role,and significance of the microbial metabolism of trace gases such as hydrogen,methane,carbon monoxide,and carbon dioxide. He has held prestigious fellowships from the CSIRO (2014-2016),Australian Research Council (2017-2019),and National Health and Medical Research Council (2020-2024) and was awarded the Fenner Medal 2022 from the Australian Academy of Science. Greening was awarded the Prime Minister's Prize for Life Scientist of the Year in 2023.
Elisabeth Huber-Sannwald is an Austrian researcher specializing in ecosystem ecology. She is a Full Research Professor in Ecology and Global Environmental Change as well as the Department Head of Instituto Potosino de Investigación Científica y Tecnológica (IPICYT) in San Luis Potosí,Mexico.