Conference: The Microbiome Frontier of Mammalogy, a symposium and workshop for the International Mammalogical Congress in Anchorage, AK, USA, July 14-20, 2023

As we gain a better understanding of the associations between wild mammals and microorganisms, it is becoming clear that we can leverage information from these associations to test pressing hypotheses about mammalian conservation and pathogen dynamics. Microbiome research in wild mammals suggests that microbes enable dietary specialization, may facilitate migration or hibernation, impact susceptibility of the mammal to disease invasion, and may have ancient associations with their mammal hosts. A growing body of evidence indicates that environmental change alters these mammal-microbe interactions and may have consequences for mammal conservation and the role mammals play as wildlife reservoirs of human pathogens. We need more researchers studying the interdependence of wild mammals and microbes using creative thinking frameworks in order to examine these complex systems. To increase the number of mammalogists studying microorganisms, the investigators will hold a symposium and workshop titled “The Microbiome Frontier of Mammalogy” at the 13th International Mammalogical Congress. This symposium will showcase the cutting-edge of research on mammal-microbe interactions and the workshop will teach flexible thinking using the Indigenous concept of “relationality” as a framework to conceptualize connectedness. The workshop is hosted in collaboration with the Alaska Native Heritage Center, and the investigators acknowledge the guidance and instruction from an Indigenous Elder. The support provided will increase the interdisciplinary connections between mammalogy and microbiology and allow a more holistically approach conservation and disease ecology of mammals. Mammals harbor diverse and abundant communities of microorganisms in and on their bodies. A burgeoning research field has begun to uncover the role that these microbes play in the ecology and evolution of mammalian hosts. It has been hypothesized that these communities could alter the ecology and evolution of animal hosts. However, we lack a thorough conceptual understanding of many facets of the microbiome given our current biological understandings. Akin to interdisciplinary scientific approaches, there may be value in considering the viewpoints or strategies of other fields of understanding, such as philosophy and Indigenous knowledge. By considering or engaging in alternative or complementary approaches, the sometimes static and rigid mindsets of academic scientists are given the opportunity to relax. The field of the mammalian microbiome offers a rich opportunity to begin combining approaches from long-separated fields to synthesize our knowledge and understanding of mammalogy and microbial ecology. In collaboration with co-organizers, the supported symposium and workshop will initiate dialogue around these ideas and develop interdisciplinary collaborations for building new research trajectories in the fields of microbiology, mammalogy, and philosophy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.