The design and development of EcoBiomes: Multi-species synthetic microbial consortia inspired by natural desert microbiome to enhance the resilience of climate-sensitive ecosystems

Synthetic microbial communities, which simplify the complexity of natural ecosystems while retaining their key features, are gaining momentum in engineering and biotechnology applications. One potential application is the development of bioinoculants, offering an eco-friendly, sustainable solution to promote plant growth and increase resilience to abiotic stresses amidst climate change. A potential source for stress-tolerant microbes is those associated with desert plants, evolved and shaped by selective pressures to promote host health under harsh environmental conditions. In our research, we aim to design and develop synthetic microbial consortia inspired by the natural microbiota of four desert plants native to the Arabian Peninsula, inferred from our previous work identifying the structure and predicting the function of these microbial communities using high throughput eDNA barcoding. To obtain culturable microbes that are manageable and traceable yet still representative of natural microbial communities, we combined multiple experimental protocols coupled with compatibility and synergy assessments, along with in planta testing. We isolated a total of 75 bacteria and conducted detailed biological evaluations, revealing that an overwhelming majority (84 %) of all isolates produced indole acetic acid (IAA), with 73 % capable of solubilizing phosphate, 60 % producing siderophores, 47 % forming biofilms, and 35 % producing ACC deaminase, all contributing to plant growth and stress tolerance. We constructed four synthetic microbial consortia, named EcoBiomes, consisting of synergistic combinations of multiple species that can co-exist without significant antagonism. Our preliminary data indicate that EcoBiomes enhance the resilience of heterologous host plants under simulated environmental stresses, including drought, heat, and salinity. EcoBiomes offer a unique, sustainable, and eco-friendly solution to mitigate the impact of climate change on sensitive ecosystems, ultimately affecting global food security.