The Science m-CAFEs researchers studied microbial communities at different zones of the roots in three different types of growth containers: conventional pots, tubes, and standardized fabricated ecosystems (EcoFABs), designed to mimic conditions of a natural environment. The goal was to characterize microbial communities on the tips of the roots, the soil at the base of the roots and regular bulk soil that was not in the rhizosphere environment. The EcoFAB 2.0 is a standardized device for … [Read more...]

Combining network analyses with metagenomics uncovers microbial interactions and a vitamin super-producer m-CAFEs researchers at University of California, Berkeley demonstrated a new method for identifying bacteria that are interacting and determining the nature of the interaction. They predicted and confirmed experimentally that a Variovorax bacterium in a bioreactor community was producing significant amounts of vitamin B1 for other community members, yielding new insight into the … [Read more...]

Soil microorganisms interact with plant roots in a variety of different ways. For example, microorganisms may carry out harmful activities such as infection, or sequestration of nutrients required for plant survival.  In other cases, plant growth-promoting bacteria (PGPB) carry out beneficial activities such as nitrogen fixation, or protection from environmental stress (ex. from pathogens or drought). Microorganisms can also "communicate" with the plants via the production or destruction of … [Read more...]