A simplified framework for dissecting complex host-microbiota interactions

Charachterization of the microbiome in the roots of Arabidopsis plants growing in agar plates. Plants were germinated in plates with one of two phosphate conditions (+Pi or -Pi), and then transfered to a new plate with one of two Pi concentrations (100uM or 30uM). The plate of the second phosphate treatment was also inoculated with one of 25 synthetic bacterial communities, or kept under axenic conditions. The bacterial synthetic communities were made from pairs of bacterial blocks, were each block is made of 8-9 individual bacterial strains.