Developed Biofilm‐Based Microbial Ameliorators for Remediating Degraded Agroecosystems and the Environment

Chapter 17 Developed Biofilm-Based Microbial Ameliorators for Remediating Degraded Agroecosystems and the Environment G. Seneviratne, G. Seneviratne Microbial Biotechnology Unit, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorP.C. Wijepala, P.C. Wijepala Microbial Biotechnology Unit, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorK.P.N.K. Chandrasiri, K.P.N.K. Chandrasiri Microbial Biotechnology Unit, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this author G. Seneviratne, G. Seneviratne Microbial Biotechnology Unit, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorP.C. Wijepala, P.C. Wijepala Microbial Biotechnology Unit, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this authorK.P.N.K. Chandrasiri, K.P.N.K. Chandrasiri Microbial Biotechnology Unit, National Institute of Fundamental Studies, Kandy, Sri LankaSearch for more papers by this author Book Editor(s):Iqbal Ahmad, Iqbal Ahmad Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, IndiaSearch for more papers by this authorFohad Mabood Husain, Fohad Mabood Husain King Saud University, Saudi ArabiaSearch for more papers by this author First published: 21 July 2017 https://doi.org/10.1002/9781119246329.ch17Citations: 2 AboutPDFPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShareShare a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat Summary Natural microbial diversity performs many ecological services in addition to helping producing valuable plants and animals. Examples include recycling of nutrients, control of microclimate, regulation of undesirable organisms, and detoxification of noxious chemicals. However, due to natural and anthropogenic disturbances, biodiversity is declining at an alarming rate. Conversion of natural habitats to agricultural lands and introduction of many toxic substances into the environment through human activities are the main threats for biodiversity degradation. Scientists warn that biodiversity loss in the future could rank among the major drivers of ecosystem collapse, and hence they are now seeking novel remedies to replenish and clean the degraded and contaminated sites. This raises the question of what is the best method to use, as it is apparent that there are limits to existing methods, and also there are no simple, generic solutions to these complex problems. Therefore, we have to look for alternative methods that reinstate the degraded ecosystems. This chapter reviews this issue and proposes methods from recent developments. Use of microbial ameliorators is a promising alternative, as microbial communities have a great impact on biosynthesis and biodegradation in the nature. They can play an extremely important role in rehabilitation of degraded agricultural ecosystems and environs. Conventionally, monocultures of microbes or their mixtures have been used to replenish lost microbes in degraded systems. Recently, considerable attention has been focused on microbial biofilms and their potential in remediating degraded agroecosystems and contaminated environments. Biofilms result in more effective bioremediation than the conventional methods due to reinstating lost microbes by breaking dormancy of soil seed bank that is developed to bypass stress conditions imposed by the anthropogenic and natural disturbances. Thus, the use of developed microbial biofilms, particularly fungal-bacterial biofilms (FBBs), has been proposed, and is being field tested. This field of research is still in early stage, and therefore it needs further research and development. Citing Literature Biofilms in Plant and Soil Health RelatedInformation