ENVIRONMENTAL MICROBIOLOGY AND MICROBIAL ECOLOGY
Area of research: Microbiology, Biotechnology
Theme: Microbial Diversity, Biodegradation; Bioremediation; Plant-microbe interaction; Metagenomics; Photosynthetic bacteria, Ecology, Ecotoxicology
SDGs covered: SDG 2: Zero Hunger SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being.SDG 6: clean water and sanitation for all. SDG 12: responsible consumption and production.
Faculty Members: Dr. Yasir Rehman, Dr. Muhammad Akram, Dr. Kaneez Fatima, Miss Hareem Mohsin, Nabiha Naeem, Ghadir Ali
Description:
Rapid industrialization and urbanization have been the main contributor to water and soil pollution, causing tremendous socioeconomic and environmental issues. Microorganisms in combination with plants can overcome environmental stress by degrading toxic pollutants. They are ubiquitous living organisms that play important roles in biospheres, in biogeochemical cycles, and in the well-being of other living organisms. There is a vast diversity of these microorganisms having so much variety of metabolic activities. These microorganisms can be explored and utilized in solving different anthropogenic problems such as degrading pollutants; a process known as bioremediation. Moreover, the microorganisms interact with each other and play crucial roles in the environment where they live, and directly / indirectly affect their hosts as well. The study of their interaction with each other and with other living organisms is important in understanding the phenomena involved in it, and to successfully utilize it in biotechnology. For example, various microorganisms are found in the rhizosphere of plants where they produce various compounds necessary for the growth of the plants. Such microorganisms can be used to support growth of the plants in a stressful environment.
National Collaborators:
Institute of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of the Punjab, Lahore; National Institute Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering, Faisalabad; University of Agriculture,Faisalabad; Kohsar University, Murree;Lahore College Woman University, Lahore.
International Collaborators:
Tsinghua University, China; University of Minnesota,USA
Students:
Maryam Afzal, Miss Mahnoor, Miss Nimra, Mr. Zain Abbas, Miss Mutther, Miss Mariya Noor
Relevant Publications:
1. Huda, N. u., Tanvir, R., Badar, J., Ali, I. and Rehman, Y. 2022. Arsenic-Resistant Plant Growth Promoting Pseudoxanthomonasmexicana S254 and Stenotrophomonasmaltophilia S255 Isolated from Agriculture Soil Contaminated by Industrial Effluent. Sustainability, 14:10697.
2. Raja Tahir Mahmood, Muhammad JavaidAsad, Muhammad Asgher, Muhammad Gulfraz and Tariq Mukhtar, Muhammad Akram. 2015. Study of Disperse Dyes Biodegradation and Lignolytic Enzymes Production Potential of Indigenous Coniophoraputeana IBL-01, a Brown Rot Fungi. Advance Environmental Biology, 9(11): 139-150.
3. Fatima, Kaneez, Asma Imran, Imran Amin, Qaiser M. Khan, and Muhammad Afzal. "Successful phytoremediation of crude-oil contaminated soil at an oil exploration and production company by plants-bacterial synergism." International journal of phytoremediation 20, no. 7 (2018): 675-681.
4. Mohsin, H., Asif, A., Fatima, M., & Rehman, Y. (2021). Potential role of viral metagenomics as a surveillance tool for the early detection of emerging novel pathogens. Archives of microbiology, 203: 865-872. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00203-020-02105-5.
5. Mohsin, Hareem, Azka Asif, and Yasir Rehman. "Anoxic growth optimization for metal respiration and photobiological hydrogen production by arsenic-resistant Rhodopseudomonas and Rhodobacter species." Journal of basic microbiology 59, no. 12 (2019): 1208-1216.