Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

5-2023

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Microbiology

Major Professor

Elizabeth M. Fozo

Committee Members

Sarah L. Lebeis, Heidi Goodrich-Blair, Gladys M. Alexandre, Erik R. Zinser

Abstract

Plant microbiomes are assembled and modified through a complex milieu of biotic and abiotic factors. Despite dynamic and fluctuating contributing variables, specific host and microbial mechanisms are likely important mediators of interactions. We combine information from large-scale datasets across diverse plant hosts with experimental genetic manipulation assays in model Arabidopsis seedlings to converge on a conserved role for metabolite production and transport in mediating host-microbe interactions. Applying a diverse set of analytical tools to microbial communities at various complexity levels will advance our knowledge of the scalability of observed phenotypes and, ultimately, help to decipher the mechanisms dictating plant–microbe interactions across scales.

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