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Soil microorganisms play a critical role in soil health and in delivery of key ecosystem services. However, we still know relatively little about what role individual taxa play in soil processes. Quantifying microbial processes with taxonomic resolution is thus one of the key research challenges in agriculture. By quantifying the incorporation of heavy isotopes into microbial DNA, coupled with taxonomic identifications from DNA sequencing, quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) makes it possible to measure taxon-specific activity. This chapter explores how qSIP works and the exciting range of its potential applications in understanding and optimizing the role of soil microorganisms in achieving a more sustainable agriculture.
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP)
- 3 Using quantitative stable isotope probing inagriculture
- 4 Using qSIP: increasing soil carbon decreasing carbonemissions
- 5 Using qSIP: reducing dependence on syntheticagrochemicals, increasing nitrogen retention anddecreasing nitrogen losses
- 6 Using qSIP: increasing plant resistance toenvironmental stress
- 7 Using qSIP: suppressing pathogens and reducingantibiotic use in livestock
- 8 Using qSIP: reducing greenhouse gas emissions
- 9 Linking qSIP to other omics technologies
- 10 Scaling and modeling: from taxon-specifcinformation to ecosystem functions and services
- 11 Case study: identifying microbial allies in nitrogenretention
- 12 Case study: Miscanthus, manure and soil carbon inagriculture
- 13 qSIP for agriculture: technical challenges and futuretrends
- 14 Conclusion: can agriculture be more sustainablethrough quantitative stable isotope probinginformed microbial engineering?
- 15 Where to look for further information
- 16 References