Understanding the secret world of microbes and how they’re transforming farming, protecting water and sustaining life.
They’re microscopic, invisible to the naked eye and almost everywhere.
Microbes can survive in most environments — from radioactive waste to the soil under our feet. And, in Kansas, their simple functions make our everyday life possible.
Invisible and indispensable
Microbes like bacteria and fungi boost soil fertility by decomposing organic matter and removing pollutants from water, improving its quality.
For farmers, this shrinks the need for chemical fertilizers, magnifies crop yields and gives livestock high-quality pastureland.
As climate change intensifies droughts and disrupts water systems, microbiologist Lydia Zeglin’s work is more urgent than ever.
“There’s a lot of research that shows that the more organic matter and microbial diversity a crop soil has, the more likely it is to require less fertilizer to help the plants grow,” Zeglin said. “In terms of water quality, we mostly work on streams that are drying out. We study how the microbes in the streambed survive drying and re-wetting and help pull pollutants out of the water as they come back to life after a drought.”
Campus connections
Zeglin’s research in microbial ecology and diversity links to many different departments at K-State. She works with agronomists for crop and farming connections, hydrologists for water-related expertise and more.
Zeglin’s microbe journey began on her family’s farm in Wisconsin. She wanted to know how all the pieces of nature are intertwined and what happens in the rural soil.
In college, Zeglin majored in wildlife ecology and she is now an accomplished professor who tracks the secret world of microbes — from nearby Kansas farms to far-flung Antarctic ice.
Microscopic in size, huge in potential
In a future filled with intense droughts and disrupted water systems, microbial research is more important than ever. Since microbes are better than plants at surviving drought, they may be able to help plants — and the food crops we depend on — survive, too.
Microbes aren’t just tiny organisms; they’re invisible allies shaping the future of agriculture and environmental safety.
Sometimes the most important forces are the ones we can’t see.
