Microbial Consortia and Their Application for the Development of a Sustainable Environment

Abundant diversity of microbial communities existing in nature follows the rule of coexistence demonstrating interspecies and interkingdom interactions for their proliferation. These communities exhibit highly complex and interwoven web of metabolic communications. They also perform division of labor managing their metabolic load for the survival of different co-inhabitants of that area. These microbial consortia are involved in various interactions such as mutualism and syntropy, commensalism, and antagonistic behavior as a part of their struggle for existence. Due to their unique properties of division of labor, diversified metabolic capacities, and ability of co-survival, microbial consortia can be exploited for approaches applied for maintaining sustainability of the environment. They can be utilized in agricultural practices that can reduce the use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Microbial mixed cultures also have potential for waste management and bioremediation. Additionally, they can prove to be an attractive alternative as a source of biofuel and bioenergy generation.