Summer Environmental StudyAlison Moss
2019 The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
Alison Moss is a budding microbial ecologist entering her nal year at Towson University in Maryland. For the last year, she has studied the metabolic abilities of bacteria isolated from the bull-headed dung beetle gut. Like humans, dung beetles host symbiotic microbes that may aid in digestion. Commonly found on dairy farms, dung beetles minimize the environmental impact of raising cattle by consuming and redistributing waste. Investigating the abilities of dung beetle microbiome members will increase our understanding of how microbes regulate agricultural waste, helping to predict how disturbances— such as climate change or veterinary antibiotics—may in uence this important dynamic.
Funded by Green Spring Valley Garden Club, Zone VI
The Garden Club of America Awards for Summer Environmental Studies
To encourage studies and careers in the environmental field, with the opportunity to gain knowledge and experience beyond the regular course of study.
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