Understanding how microbial communities cooperate is becoming increasingly important as bioelectrochemical technologies move from laboratory research towards real-world applications. By focusing on the biology behind bioelectricity generation, our new publication provides valuable guidance for engineering microbial consortia that are not only more productive, but also more robust and multifunctional.
The study assembles and evaluates a synthetic fungal–bacterial consortium consisting of the electroactive bacterium Shewanella oneidensis, the plant growth-promoting bacterium Pseudomonas putida and the dimorphic fungus Ophiostoma piceae. Rather than optimising electricity generation alone, it explores how complementary microbial functions—including extracellular electron transfer, substrate utilisation and the production of plant-beneficial metabolites—can be combined within a single anodic community. By comparing different microbial combinations and examining their electrochemical performance, substrate consumption and metabolite production, the research provides new insights into how rationally designed consortia can support multifunctional bioelectrochemical systems while raising new questions about the mechanisms underlying microbial cooperation.
As microbial electrochemical technologies move towards practical implementation, designing microbial communities with predictable and complementary functions will become increasingly important. By improving our understanding of how defined electroactive consortia assemble, interact and generate bioelectricity, this work contributes to the development of more reliable and rationally engineered bioelectrochemical systems.
Read full article:
Baquedano I, González-García D, Prieto A, Barriuso J. A novel synthetic fungal–bacterial anodic consortium for multifunctional microbial fuel cells under simulated hydroponic conditions. Biomass and Bioenergy (2026). doi: 10.1016/j.biombioe.2026.109842
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