You may know that antibiotics are critical for fighting disease-causing bacteria, but you may not realize that trillions of microbes in our bodies and all around us are critical for everything from healthy human immune systems to healthy ecosystems of plants and animals.

Scientists refer to these microbial communities as microbiomes, and earlier this week dozens of leading scientists published two papers both calling for a massive increase in government funding for studies into the workings of these vital systems. The researchers suggested a program of microbiome studies similar to the ongoing government sponsored Brain Initiative, according to the New York Times.

The White House is considering such a move, according to an associate director of the White House office of Science and Technology, who is a microbiologist.

Scientists have been studying microbes since the first microscopes were developed in the mid-1600’s, but only recently have microbiologists began to map the massive diversity and complexity of microbial communities. A single human microbiome can include trillions of microscopic organisms representing thousands of species.

Even some of the most basic questions about microbiomes remain mysterious to scientists. By tracking how disturbances can create unhealthy microbial communities, for example, scientists hope to uncover patterns that can help neutralize disease or restore natural environments.

While there are few known techniques for successful manipulation of the human microbiome, one example that has recently drawn attention is the fecal transplant. In this procedure, a patient with Clostridium difficile, an intestinal bacteria that is often difficult to treat with antibiotics, receives intestinal bacteria using the feces of a healthy donor.

Such fecal transplants have been remarkably successful, likely due to the replenishment of a healthy gut microbiome.