The protist microbiota of maize and their functional roles for the self-organization of the rhizosphere bacterial microbiome (ProtistBiome II)

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The aim of the project is to characterise the plant-associated protist community in the rhizosphere of maize. We understand rhizosphere communities as dynamic systems and want to investigate how physico-chemical soil properties (texture) and changes in root activity, gene expression and exudation influence soil-borne microbial communities. Microorganisms and their predators co-evolve with the root system. Their cysts and resting stages, especially pathogens, accumulate in the soil and affect the microbiome and root system of subsequent plant generations. The focus is on cercozoans and oomycetes, which are dominant and speciose protist groups with distinct plant-associated taxa, for which we have developed group-specific primers. The analyses are accompanied by metagenome analyses to quantify changes in bacterial composition and function.