The National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology awarded the University of California, Merced $335,945 on February 1, 2027, under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to investigate how gut microbial communities contribute to nutritional resilience and survival in banner-tailed kangaroo rats inhabiting arid ecosystems.
The research examines mechanisms through which gut microbes help mammals withstand nutritional stress caused by seasonal and annual variation in resource availability. The project identifies how gut microbial communities convert dietary resources into essential nutrients and metabolites that support nutrition, physiological function, and survival during periods of scarcity. Deliverables include development of analytical tools adoptable by biotechnology and biomedical sciences, as well as STEM workforce development through interdisciplinary training for high school, undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral researchers across three research-intensive institutions. Participants gain hands-on experience in field ecology, molecular biology, stable isotope analysis, bioinformatics, and quantitative modeling.
Performance occurs in Merced, California from February 1, 2027 through January 31, 2030. This is a collaborative research project; the source does not specify the identities or funding amounts for co-recipient institutions.