Plant-microbe interactions are important but cryptic components of how communities and ecosystems function and respond to change. Fundamental information such as the natural history and biogeography of many microbial genotypes are unknown, and the complexity of microbial communities often results in the distillation of their functions into inelegantly simplified emergent processes. We do know that parasitic and mutualistic plant-microbe associations can change the competitive interactions among plant species, potentially influencing plant biodiversity by exerting strong control over the establishment of seedlings in a community. These plant-microbe interactions may be especially important in tropical forests, which are critical reservoirs of biodiversity increasingly threatened by changing climate and land conversion. We have found that fungi can mediate the outcomes of interspecific competition among tropical forest seedlings in direct and indirect ways.
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The Critical Zone (CZ) is the semi-permeable membrane on the Earth's surface that extends from bedrock to the tops of trees. Microbes drive Earth's biogeochemical cycles and play a critical role in ecosystem services including nutrient cycling, carbon stabilization, carbon flow and weathering. Our Critical Zone Thematic Cluster GeoMicro is developing a predictive understanding of how the interaction among soil microbes, roots, mineral composition, and soil organic matter drives Critical Zone biogeochemistry and soil formation. Understanding linkages between microbial communities and observed biogeochemistry is assessed by coupling molecular and functional assays with soil physical and biogeochemical analysis to build a better predictive understanding between community structure and soil processes in watersheds across the U.S. |