Project Number: 3091-32000-033-11-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Sep 1, 2016
End Date: Aug 31, 2021

Objective:
Trophic-level interactions of manure and other ephemeral resources will be investigated to determine the roles bacteria play in waste degradation, pathogen movement, and regulating arthropod use based on temporal patterns of engagement.

Approach:
The proposed research will use manure and other ephemeral resources as model systems for waste bioconversion. Such a model system facilitates answering basic questions regarding nutrient recycling and trophic interactions that integrate efficient use of resources in waste conversion, and assessment of microbial structure & function as well as pathogen dissemination and resulting insect communities to develop sustainable systems of waste management for economic benefit. These studies also assess management practices that protect the environment and the quantity of manure entering the system and resulting by-products (e.g., microbes, pathogens, VOCs) and commodities (e.g., protein, biodiesel, and fertilizer).