Functional metagenomics: Studying functional microbial guilds responsible for the biogeochemical cycling in soil  provides a background upon which anthropogenic disturbances of these critical cycles can be better understood. Disease and dogs. Training detector canines to the scent of an invasive fungal plant pathogen will more rapidly identify infected trees and mitigate the spread of the disease. Non-human DNA typing: Unique scent profiles are generated by small molecules produced by the MHC metabolome. Understanding scent profiles and genetics relationships will increase understanding of behavioral mate selection in inbred populations.