Grant: Research Tools and Instruments

The proposed automated solid-phase extraction system will support five basic and applied research programs in the areas of plant ecology, plant-soil interactions, soil remediation, restoration ecology, and soil carbon dynamics. We collaborate on diverse research projects focused on how plants in both natural and agricultural systems interact with and structure the communities of bacteria and fungi in the soil. We are particularly interested in understanding how plant influences on the soil in turn drive the provision of soil ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling and plant productivity.******We require the solid-phase extraction system to accurately and efficiently measure plant root exudates. Plant root soil interactions are governed by plant root exudates, which are low molecular weight organic compounds that are released from plant roots at low (ppb to ppt) concentrations. Changes in plant community composition can alter the concentration and chemical composition of root exudates, causing changes in both soil microbial community structure and the provision of ecosystem services such as nutrient cycling rates and plant productivity. Our research programs depend on the rapid and accurate identification and measurement of root exudate compounds extracted from field collected soil samples. Currently, we use a labour and reagent intensive procedure to extract and prepare root exudates for analysis on an ion chromatograph (IC). This extraction step is a bottleneck in our shared laboratory limiting the number of samples that can be processed. The proposed solid phase extraction system will reduce laboratory costs and time, allowing us to improve sample sizes and reduce laboratory delays for HQP.******Among the many anticipated outcomes of research facilitated by this equipment, we will be able to 1) disentangle the complex multi-way interactions among the invasive plant species, environmental conditions, and the intensity of herbivory, that structure soil communities, 2) link the microbiome, soil, and plant phenotypes associated with stable crop yields across environmental conditions. Identifying the bacterial and fungal species associated with yield stability will allow us to identify the plant physiological and genetic factors linking plant varieties and soil communities, providing critical information for plant breeders to incorporate the microbiome into crop development. 3) We will evaluate how the foundational plant species modify the environmental conditions on a disturbed site, creating conditions that facilitate the establishment of other species. Improving our understanding of early niche construction will improve current models of arctic tundra succession and enable the effective use of native tundra species in restoration.