The National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology awarded the University of Illinois $434,617 on February 1, 2027, under the Biological Sciences program to investigate how gut microbial communities contribute to nutritional resilience and survival in banner-tailed kangaroo rats inhabiting arid ecosystems with pronounced seasonal and annual variation in resource availability. The research examines the mechanisms through which gut microbes help mammals withstand nutritional stress and convert dietary resources into essential nutrients and metabolites that support physiological function during periods of scarcity. The project runs through January 31, 2030, with performance in Urbana, Illinois. The work advances fundamental knowledge of mammalian physiology, ecology, and symbiosis through development of analytical tools applicable to biotechnology and biomedical sciences, and supports STEM workforce development through interdisciplinary training in field ecology, molecular biology, stable isotope analysis, bioinformatics, and quantitative modeling for high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers across three research-intensive institutions.