A combination of 454 high throughput sequencing and RNA stable isotope probing (RNA-SIP) with 13CO2 was used to monitor incorporation into bacterial and fungal biomass in rhizosphere soil and roots of Brassica naps.. rhizosphere metagenome

The aim of the present study was 1) to characterize and compare the structure and composition of the root and rhizosphere bacterial and fungal communities of oilseed rape plants and 2) to identify the microbial groups capable of competing for, and comsuming, recently fixed carbon and compare these with other, less active groups not incorporating plant assimilate. This was done by labelling the plants with 13CO2 and applying RNA-SIP. The overall aim is to improve our understanding of the relationship between plants and microbial communities towards an effective utilization of microbial consortia in agriculture.