Project Grant 2622346

The National Science Foundation Division of Environmental Biology awarded the University of New Mexico $963,288 on September 1, 2026, under the Biological Sciences program (CFDA 47.074) to develop an integrated theoretical and computational framework for understanding how microbial communities in biological soil crusts (biocrusts) evolve and persist under environmental variability. The research integrates ecological and evolutionary modeling, computer simulations, genomic data, and artificial intelligence to reveal how biocrust communities change across scales, from genes and microbes to whole landscapes. Biocrusts—living communities of microbes, lichens, mosses, and other organisms that bind soil particles, reduce erosion, and regulate water and atmospheric carbon and nitrogen cycling—are critical to the stability and productivity of fragile dryland ecosystems that support billions of people worldwide. Insights from the project will guide restoration, land management, and protection of dryland ecosystems and inform education by engaging students in integrating ecology, evolution, genomics, computer modeling, and artificial intelligence to address real-world environmental problems. Work is performed in Albuquerque, New Mexico, with a period of performance running through August 31, 2031. The award is classified as a Project Grant, an assistance type.