ESE/Ge 129 - Soil Systems Microbiology

Soils harbor some of the most diverse microbiomes on Earth. Microorganisms play key roles in soil carbon (C) and nutrient turnover and the generation of persistent organic matter via their metabolic activities, cellular biochemistry, and extracellular products. Soil microbes also provide rich elemental and genetic resources to their predators, including phages, bacteria, and microfauna. The course will cover topics related to studying the interactions and functions of the entire microbial community within soil, focusing on tools used to measure the community diversity, the ecology and micro-scale interactions, and the ecosystem functions soil microorganisms modulate. Through a combination of lectures, laboratory work, and computational analyses, students will learn how microbial communities in soil ecosystems cycle element pools (mainly C and N) and how phages modulate bacterial populations and these cycles.