Frankia Illumina sequences from microcosm rhizosphere soils

Soil microcosms were established using soil from a dense stand of tall (4-5 m) Elaeagnus angustifolia plants established on a Drummer silty clay loam (taxonomic classification = fine-silty, mixed, superactive, mesic Typic Endoaquoll) in Illinois, USA. The climate is continental with mean annual precipitation of 940 mm, and mean annual air temperature of 11C. The fertile soil formed under tallgrass prairie vegetation at an elevation of 214 m, is slightly acidic (pH = 6.9) and rich in organic matter (circa 3 percent). The site is adjacent to a temperate deciduous forest and has a history of row cropping, but not in the last 25 years (40.207797, -88.366524). Seeds of all plant species were surface sterilized in 3% hydrogen peroxide for 10 min., washed twice in sterile water for 10 min. each and then germinated on a water agar. Three microcosms were set up for each plant species with three seedlings per microcosm, and three microcosms without plants were used for comparison.