soil metagenome Metagenomic assembly

The soil microbiome has evolved the capacity to mine critical nutrients for its ownbenefit and potentially that of other system inhabitants, such as plants. This projectaims to gain an understanding of the microbial mechanisms of soil phosphorus (P)solubilization and how those mechanisms can be harnessed and developed intorobust plant-soil-microbe associations that deliver P to bioenergy crop plantsgrowing on marginal lands. This project integrates lab expertise in ecology,microbiology, geochemistry, imaging and spectroscopy and has 3 aims: 1) Establisha natural observatory as analog to marginal lands for understanding P limitedproductivity. 2) Identify microbial response and adaptation pathways to limitednutrient (P) accessibility. 3) Design, build, and test microbial intervention strategiesbased on natural pathway response to increase production on marginal land.We have developed a natural observatory at the Ecological Staircase in MendocinoCo. that serves as an analog for marginal lands with a strong P availability gradient.Hundreds of P solubilizing bacteria and fungi have been isolated and work isongoing to determine the mechanisms involved, their ability to form metabolicinteractions with plant roots through exudation and to determine the optimalcomposition of a consortium to maximize P recovery to improve plant yield.Bacterial, archaeal communities were identified across gradient with amplicon sequencing 16S (iTag) of marker genes. P solubilizing bacteria were identified by 16s full length sanger sequencing