Close Encounters of the Microbial Kind: Exploring Complex Networks of Communities

GRS-AEM 2023 will highlight the mechanisms by which microbial networks impact our environment and our health. The symposium will address the decoding of fundamental principles that govern the ecological dynamics of microbial communities in various ecosystems, including microbe-microbe interactions (trophic interactions, signalling and communication, and genetic exchanges), microbe-phage interactions (eco-evolution and phage-mediated selection), and microbe-host (migration, colonization, and adaptation), microbe-environment interactions (biogeochemical processes, resistance and resilience to change). The symposium will highlight the boundaries of microbial ecology, with both classical and cutting-edge techniques, to characterize fundamental ecological principles of microbial populations as well as to discover opportunities to develop potential biotechnologies. Discussions will be encouraged that move the field of microbial ecology beyond describing and towards maintaining healthy and balanced host and environmental ecosystems.