STUDY OF STRUCTURE OF MICROBIAL CONSORTIA AND THEIR APPLICATIONS

Abstract

The phenomenon of symbiosis i.e. living together is often seen in microbial world. When more than one type of microorganisms live together and form a culture, the variety of genes are clustered and there is also diversity in the metabolic capacities of the culture. Microorganisms living in symbiosis do possess this quality to protect themselves against the drastic changes in the environment around them. Lichens can withstand the adverse environmental conditions like desiccation, starvation or even irradiation. Synthetic biology involves the introduction of new functional capabilities into the existing species. It is now possible to engineer the individual cells easily with the use of various synthetic components. Microbial systems can be engineered through the means of environment control and use of tools of synthetic biology. There are many applications of engineered microbial consortia in various fields. Bioremediation involves the cleaning up of the pollutants from the environment. Engineered consortia can play a vital role in this process. Engineered microbial consortium is the better tool in the development of green technology.