Microbial ecology
Japanese: 微生物生態学
A branch of ecology studying the interactions between microorganisms and their environment, as well as relationships among microbes. Also applied to understanding microbial communities in fermented foods.
Microbial ecology is the study of relationships between microorganisms and their environment, and interactions among microbes themselves. Why is that microbe there? How do microbes influence each other? This field illuminates the ecosystems of the invisible world.
Just as diverse flora and fauna coexist in a forest, diverse microorganisms coexist within a miso barrel. Koji mold produces enzymes, lactic acid bacteria regulate acidity, yeast creates aroma. Understanding the dynamics of this microbial forest is the work of microbial ecology.
Advances in metagenomics and 16S rRNA analysis have dramatically improved our ability to determine who is present. But understanding why things are as they are remains in progress.
Fermented foods are also natural laboratories for microbial ecology. Understanding the microbial society within miso could offer clues to understanding ecosystems on a global scale.