MICROBES HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE HUGE BENEFITS FOR CROP GROWTH, NUTRITION, AND DISEASE RESISTANCE. IN RECENT YEARS, SCIENTISTS HAVE ISOLATED SCORES OF BACTERIA AND FUNGI THAT MAY BE BENEFICIAL FOR AGRICULTURE, AND THE GLOBAL MARKET FOR PRODUCTS BASED ON THESE ORGANISMS IS OVER $2 BILLION. HOWEVER, ANOTHER GROUP OF ORGANISMS THAT ARE ABUNDANT IN AGRICULTURAL SOILS, MADE UP OF THE SINGLE-CELLED EUKARYOTES KNOWN AS PROTISTS, HAS BEEN LARGELY OVERLOOKED IN THESE EFFORTS. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT TREATING A PLANT WITH CERTAIN PROTISTS CAN QUADRUPLE ITS ACCESS TO NITROGEN, REMODEL ITS ROOT ARCHITECTURE, AND GREATLY ENHANCE ITS GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY. BY FEEDING ON CERTAIN GROUPS OF BACTERIA, PROTISTS CAN ALSO INCREASE THE ACTIVITY AND SURVIVAL OF OTHER BENEFICIAL MICROORGANISMS. HOWEVER, EXTREMELY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WHICH PROTISTS ARE PRESENT OR ENRICHED IN ROOT SOILS, WHAT THEY ARE DOING, OR HOW MUCH PLANTS AFFECT THEM.IN THIS PROJECT, WE WILL SEQUENCE DNA FROM THE SOIL ATTACHED TO CORN ROOTS TO UNDERSTAND HOW MANY TYPES PROTISTS ARE PRESENT, WHICH ONES ARE ABUNDANT, AND WHETHER THE PLANT CHANGES THE COMPOSITION OF THE PROTIST COMMUNITY. WE WILL ALSO ISOLATE A COLLECTION OF PROTISTS FROM THE SAME ROOT SOIL AND STUDY THEIR FEEDING AND SURVIVAL CHARACTERISTICS, AS WELL AS HOW THEY AFFECT THE PLANT'S GROWTH AND PRODUCTIVITY AND INFLUENCE THE ROOT BACTERIAL COMMUNITY. THIS PROJECT WILL RESULT IN A NEW UNDERSTANDING OF WHICH GROUPS OF PROTISTS MIGHT BE AFFECTING US CROP PRODUCTION AND BY WHAT MEANS, AND WILL ENABLE RESEARCH FOCUSED ONNEW STRATEGIES FOR IMPROVING SOIL NUTRIENT AVAILABILITY, CROP PRODUCTION, AND THE EFFECTIVENESS OF MICROBIAL PRODUCTS.