You know how you see dandelions everywhere? Ever wonder why that is? Dr. Julia Stevens did. Naturally, she turned to the microbes for answers.
There are tons and tons of microscopic bacteria and fungi (further referred to as “the microbes”) living in soil all of the time. When plants start growing in the soil their roots send out food for the microbes. Plants have developed the ability to send out food that attracts specific microbes that they know to be good for them. The microbes go to the soil around the plant, feast, and reproduce. They also help the plant by converting chemicals that the plant needs from the soil into a plant available form, so the more of them the better for the plant. This is a symbiotic relationship. Think of it like this: The microbes live in the soil already, all over. The plants move into town and throw a big block party. The microbes go to the party, bring a covered dish, and everyone is happy. So happy, in fact, that the microbes start reproducing and making more and more microbes that continue helping the plant.
It turns out that dandelions throw really great parties. Dr. Stevens and the original Team Dirt (2014/15) studied a bunch of dandelions and found that they have a large variety of microbes living on their leaves (in the phylosphere), around their roots (in the rhizosphere), and in the roots (as endophytes). They found one specific type of bacteria called Pseudomonads to have high concentrations around the roots of dandelions and also within the roots between the plant cells. These bacteria are known for producing antibiotics as well as plant growth hormones. These guys are likely playing a large part in the success of the dandelion.
This year Team Dirt 2015/16 is focusing on finding and identifying other plant species that follow the same pattern of attracting Pseudomonads and housing them within their roots. So exciting! The icing on the cake, Pseudomonas fluorescens (the specific type of pseudomonads that we are looking for) are named for their fluorescent properties! So, we get to look at glowing bacteria cultures under a UV Light!
Long story short, we want to know what makes plants succeed. That pretty much covers it for now.
2 Days of Growth!