Soil metagenome. Soil metagenome

As an integral part of agroecosystems, soil microbial communities play a variety of roles, including nutrient cycling, plant growth, carbon sequestration, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, suppression of soil pathogens, and remediation of potentially toxic elements in the environment. It is desirable to manage soils to utilize microbial services to improve soil health. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the role of specific agricultural practices and combinations of practices in shaping soil microbial communities and their functions. Insight into how agricultural management practices and soil legacies influence microbial diversity, composition, biomass, and functions may be critical to understanding the functional role that microbial communities play in soils.