Avena rhizosphere community Metagenome

The flow of carbon (C) from roots into soil is controlled by a complex arrayof interactions. Our project addresses how multi-trophic interactions mediate the flow and fate of root C into soil and how changing precipitation regimes alter these interactions. This project uses stable isotope probing (SIP) and genome resolved metagenomics to identify and characterize the participants in root-C- based food webs and understand the ecological interactions in the rhizosphere that ultimately control the fate ofC entering soil. We are tracking labeled C moving from roots into root-exudate and debris consumers and through the portions of the soil food web supported by these primary consumers. Genome resolved metagenomic analyses of the SIP- isolated DNA then allows us to better understand the functional characteristics of rhizosphere C-transformers and illuminate the carbon basis of these interdomain interactions in soil.