Patents 101

1
Microbial Biodiversity in Prairie Grasslands and
Enhancement of Bioenergy Crops
Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation University of
Oklahoma Oklahoma State University
2
The Carbon Cycle and Plant-Microbe Interactions
Plant growth, vigor and competitiveness
CO2
Foliar endophytes Mycorrhizae PGPB (N-fixers?)
Light energy
CO2
Biotrophs Necrotrophs
CO2, H2O N, P, S, K
Seedling germination and establishment
CO2
Saprobes
3
Cellulosic Biomass For Bioethanol Production

• Lignocellulose has tremendous energy potential
• More cellulose can be produced per unit land than
  sucrose
• Can grow perennial grasses on marginal land
• Added conservation benefits
• Vast acreages of switchgrass possible

4
Carbon-Negative Biofuels from Low-Input
High-Diversity Grassland Biomass Tilman et al.
(2006) Science 314,1598-1600

• Biomass increases with plant species number
• Diverse communities maintain greater productivity
• Soil (C) and root (D) CO2 sequestration increases
  with species number

5
Hypothesis Enhanced productivity and
sustainability of diverse plant communities is
due, at least in part, to increased diversity in
microbial communities (What can we learn about
natural plant-microbe interactions in complex
ecosystems that can be used to enhance biomass
production in simpler agricultural systems)
6
Rationale/Questions

• Linear increase in plant diversity Exponential
  increase in microbial diversity?
• What do microbial communities look like in
  productive, homeostatic communities?
• - are pathogenic microbes less abundant?
• Which microbes are associated with which
  potential biofuel crop plants?
• - selective culture of useful microbes/genes
• How do short/mixed/tall grass prairies compare?
• How do northern/southern prairie communities
  compare?

7
Focus on five keystone native prairie species
Panicum virgatum (switchgrass) C4
grass Sorghastrum nutans (indiangrass) C4
grass Schizachyrium scoparium (little
bluestem) C4 grass Lespedeza capitata (roundhead
lespedeza) legume Petalostemum purpureum (purple
prairie clover) legume

• Extensive sampling in short, mixed, tall grass
  prairies (Oklahoma)
• Sampling of switchgrass monocultures for
  comparison
• Comparative sampling at Cedar Creek Natural
  History plots (Minnesota)

8
Approach

• High throughput sequencing of fungal (ITS-rDNA)
  and bacterial (16S nif genes) communities
  associated with keystone species to develop
  microbial community profiles
• Isolation of fungi and bacteria inhabiting
  aerial, root tissues
• Isolation of dsRNA viruses from cultured fungi
• Establishment, peak, and senescence
• Mine for key organisms/genes of special
  importance to bioethanol
• production
• - cellulose and lignin degradation
• - nitrogen fixation
• - sugar fermentation

9
Key Personnel

• Nathan Walker Oklahoma State University
• Steve Marek Oklahoma State University
• Ulrich Melcher Oklahoma State University
• Bruce Roe University of Oklahoma
• Kelly Craven Noble Foundation
• Michael Udvardi Noble Foundation
• Marilyn Roosinck Noble Foundation
• Patrick Zhao Noble Foundation