Linking species diversity to microbial ecosystem functionality

There is a tremendous variation among natural ecosystems in the diversity of species and their interactions, which are thought to define ecosystem stability and functionality. Ecological theory predicts that the stability of an ecosystem relies on balanced interspecies interactions and how these species interact with the environment. We used a traditional fermented food and its micorbial community as a model system. This allowed us to design processing methods for sustainable production of Mabisi and other traditional fermented milk products. We further tested various aspects of ecological theory, advancing fundamental science.