Bioprospecting Amazonian biodiversity in the Tembé community and its biotechnological potential for sustainable development and environmental preservation

Bacteria, fungi, viruses, and small animals play fundamental roles in maintaining ecosystem balance. These microscopic organisms may also have biotechnological potential for bioremediation, antimicrobial production, and the production of other molecules for diverse applications. They may also indicate environmental impacts that compromise ecosystem health.This proposal takes a transdisciplinary approach to describing microorganism diversity in representative samples from the Amazonian ecosystem, including river water, forest and agricultural soils, and fish consumed by the Tembé Indigenous community. The Uraim River, which flows near the village, is affected by upstream urban areas. The microbiota will therefore be assessed alongside measurements of human impacts through physicochemical and biological analyses of river water and sediment, fish, and soils, as well as georeferencing to document land-use indicators.Traditional knowledge will guide the choice of sampling sites to assess environmental diversity and prospect for microorganisms with biotechnological potential. The approach includes metagenomics, culturomics for viruses, bacteria, and fungi, phenotypic, genotypic, and structural characterization of identified organisms, and integration of results through computational approaches based on machine learning. This comprehensive study will support the identification of solutions encouraging sustainable practices to maintain or restore natural capital, promote the bioeconomy, and identify potential indicators of environmental impacts in the region. CNPq/CONFAP Call No. 34/2023 — Scientific Expeditions — Amazon +10 Initiative.

Project information

• Period: 2025 — Present
• Status: Ongoing
• Nature: Research

Student participation

Undergraduate: (6) / Specialization: (0) / Academic master’s: (4) / Professional master’s: (0) / Doctoral: (19).

Funding

National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (CNPq) — Financial support.