# Environmental and Genetic Factors Governing Microbial Community Diversity

> **NIH NIH P20** · UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA · 2020 · $193,759

## Abstract

Project Summary – PROJECT 4: JI, Joanne Yew
The microbial communities of different individuals exhibit highly diverse and distinctive compositions, a
situation that is believed to underlie interpersonal differences in the metabolism of foods and drugs and
susceptibility to a range of diseases, including obesity and immune disorders. The long-term objectives of the
proposed research are to understand the environmental and genetic factors that change the composition of the
microbial community and the ensuing effects on human health and physiology. To study this complex dynamic,
a simple model system will be used, with a relatively simple microbiome composition that is amenable to
experimental manipulation. The Hawaiian Drosophila (pomace fly) clade consists of nearly 1000 different
species that have evolved from a single ancestral species to live on highly diverse plant diets throughout
Hawaii. Intriguingly, many of the species exhibit life-long affiliation with a single host plant clade and the distinct
microbial communities associated with it. This unique feature provides a powerful opportunity to examine how
the microbiome is shaped by the interplay of environmental (e.g., dietary) and genetic factors, and whether
dietary perturbation alters host microbiome composition and compromises health. This proposal will test the
hypothesis that an organism's microbial diversity is largely governed by environmental rather than genetic
factors, and the selective incorporation of microbes from dietary sources confers significant benefits for the
organism's development and health. The specific aims of the proposed research are to (i) characterize the
composition of microbial communities in natural populations of Hawaiian Drosophila spp. and their host plants;
(ii) determine the influence of diet on host microbial composition and the contribution of diet-acquired microbes
to host physiology; and (iii) determine the influence of genetic background on host microbial composition.
These aims will be achieved using next-generation sequencing to profile microbe communities, manipulation of
dietary microbes, and measurements of physiological features such as lipids, lifespan, and fertility.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10007945
- **Project number:** 5P20GM125508-03
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII AT MANOA
- **Principal Investigator:** JOANNE Y YEW
- **Activity code:** P20 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $193,759
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2018-08-15 → 2023-07-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10007945

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10007945, Environmental and Genetic Factors Governing Microbial Community Diversity (5P20GM125508-03). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10007945. Licensed CC0.

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