Soil metagenomics

Soil microbiome

The soil microbiome is the complete set of microbes that can live in soil ecosystems.

  • Soil represents the greatest microbial reservoir of biological diversity

    • more than 30,000 prokaryotic species

    • presence of soil microbes depends on many environmental factors including geographic location, salinity, temperature, oxygen, nutrients

    • Plant-microbe interactions

      • microbes are essential for plant growth and health

      • soil serves as a major source of plant-associated bacteria

Rhizosphere microbiome

Rhizosphere microbiome consists of all soil microbes that colonize the roots of plants.

    • Microbes support plant growth and health

      • microbial colonization of roots is beneficial to plant growth and health

      • microbes help to absorb nutrient absorption and to protect against pathogens

  • Plant-specific microbioms

    • plants are able to control their rhizosphere microbiom by root secretions

    • different plant species growing on the same soil attract different microbes

read more

→ The Earth Microbiome Project

→ Rhizosphere Interactions