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MAPLE is an acronym, created from "Molecular Analysis of Prokaryotes from Livestock Environments", a new research initiative centered in the Department of Animal Sciences at The Ohio State University.
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MAPLE's activities are consistent with University and College goals:
- MAPLE's roots will be in the form of high quality research, which contributes new, fundamental information to the fields of microbial physiology and microbial ecology.
- From this foundation, MAPLE's different branches of investigation are expected to complement existing, and create new, intra- and inter-Departmental research and teaching activities.
- MAPLE's efforts are also expected to provide a source of unbiased information on issues relevant to the future viability and social acceptability of food animal agriculture.
Our current research projects deal with the role of microbes in the degradation of animal feeds, and the relationships between microbial activity and the release of nutrients into the environment (see current projects page).
In the future, the MAPLE research initiative plans to augment its expertise in molecular microbial ecology. It will also develop additional instructional activities designed to introduce and educate people about the roles of microbes in food animal production and the environment.
Collectively these activities address all four issues described by the College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences "integrated systems approach":
- production efficiency
- economic viability
- environmental compatibility
- social responsibility
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