Chapter 12
The Revolutionary Potential of the Hidden
Half of Nature in Agriculture and Medicine
David R. Montgomery
Abstract Recent advances in microbial community ecology have reframed our
view of the microbial world. In particular, advances in understanding the importance
of horizontal gene transfer and symbiotic relationships with host organisms carry
practical relevance for agriculture and medicine. In both areas, growing recognition
of the potential to cultivate beneficial microbial communities presents opportunities
to revolutionize conventional practices. Regenerative farming systems based on soilhealth building principles can greatly reduce major impacts of agriculture’s environmental footprint. And dietary practices that promote nutrient-dense foods and
cultivate beneficial gut microbiomes can help address the distinctly modern chronic
diseases that increasingly afflict humanity. Acknowledging the duality of the microbial world and adopting practices to promote development of beneficial communities
and limit opportunities for pathogens could transform these two areas that remain
central to human health.
12.1 Introduction
Recent advances in microbial community ecology have reframed our view of the
microbial world in ways that carry practical relevance for agriculture and medicine.
In both areas, growing recognition of the potential to cultivate beneficial microbial
communities presents opportunities to revolutionize conventional practices.
Acknowledging the duality of the microbial world and adopting practices to promote
development of beneficial communities and limit opportunities for pathogens could
transform these two areas that remain central to human health.
The way we see the world shapes how we act in it. And how we see microbes has
changed both figuratively and literally over recent decades. It turns out that our
century-long drive to annihilate microbial adversaries caused far greater collateral
damage than Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch could have imagined when they first
D. R. Montgomery (*)
Department of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
e-mail: bigdirt@uw.edu
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. J. Hurst (ed.), Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere, Advances in
Environmental Microbiology 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63512-1_12
195
The Revolutionary Potential of the Hidden
Half of Nature in Agriculture and Medicine
David R. Montgomery
Abstract Recent advances in microbial community ecology have reframed our
view of the microbial world. In particular, advances in understanding the importance
of horizontal gene transfer and symbiotic relationships with host organisms carry
practical relevance for agriculture and medicine. In both areas, growing recognition
of the potential to cultivate beneficial microbial communities presents opportunities
to revolutionize conventional practices. Regenerative farming systems based on soilhealth building principles can greatly reduce major impacts of agriculture’s environmental footprint. And dietary practices that promote nutrient-dense foods and
cultivate beneficial gut microbiomes can help address the distinctly modern chronic
diseases that increasingly afflict humanity. Acknowledging the duality of the microbial world and adopting practices to promote development of beneficial communities
and limit opportunities for pathogens could transform these two areas that remain
central to human health.
12.1 Introduction
Recent advances in microbial community ecology have reframed our view of the
microbial world in ways that carry practical relevance for agriculture and medicine.
In both areas, growing recognition of the potential to cultivate beneficial microbial
communities presents opportunities to revolutionize conventional practices.
Acknowledging the duality of the microbial world and adopting practices to promote
development of beneficial communities and limit opportunities for pathogens could
transform these two areas that remain central to human health.
The way we see the world shapes how we act in it. And how we see microbes has
changed both figuratively and literally over recent decades. It turns out that our
century-long drive to annihilate microbial adversaries caused far greater collateral
damage than Louis Pasteur and Robert Koch could have imagined when they first
D. R. Montgomery (*)
Department of Earth & Space Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
e-mail: bigdirt@uw.edu
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
C. J. Hurst (ed.), Microbes: The Foundation Stone of the Biosphere, Advances in
Environmental Microbiology 8, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-63512-1_12
195