AS THE WORLD'S POPULATION GROWS AND THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY DECLINES, SUSTAINABLE INNOVATIONS ARE REQUIRED TO CONTINUE TO PROVIDE ENOUGH NUTRITIOUS FOOD FOR EVERYONE. IN FACT, THE GLOBAL DEMAND FOR CALORIES PRODUCED BY PLANT-BASED AGRICULTURE IS EXPECTED TO DOUBLE BY 2050. THIS DEMAND HAS BEEN MET OVER THE PAST 50 YEARS PRIMARILY DUE TO THE USE OF SYNTHETIC FERTILIZERS; YET, THESE FERTILIZERS CAN POLLUTE WATER SUPPLIES AND INCREASE GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS. LEGUMES, SUCH AS SOYBEANS, REQUIRE FAR LESS FERTILIZER THAN CEREAL CROPS LIKE RICE, CORN, AND WHEAT DUE TO THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP THEY FORM WITH SOIL BACTERIA. THE PLANTS FORM ROOT AND OCCASIONALLY STEM NODULES WHERE THE BACTERIA CAN LIVE WHILE SUPPLYING THE PLANT WITH NITROGEN. WHILE SOME OF THE MECHANISMS OF THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LEGUMES AND THEIR SYMBIOTIC BACTERIA ARE UNDERSTOOD, OTHERS HAVE REMAINED ELUSIVE. UNRAVELING THE MECHANISMS OF HOW THIS SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP TAKES PLACE COULD LEAD TO THEIR TRANSFER TO CEREAL CROPS, DECREASING OUR RELIANCE ON SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER.THE SOIL BACTERIUM RHODOPSEUDOMONAS PALUSTRIS (R. PALUSTRIS) IS VERY CLOSELY RELATED TO A SYMBIOTIC BACTERIUM OF THE LEGUME JOINTVETCH; ALTHOUGH, R. PALUSTRIS HAS NOT BEEN FOUND IN THE NODULES OF ANY LEGUME. JOINTVETCH AND A SYMBIOTIC BACTERIUM USE A SIMPLE, NOD FACTOR-INDEPENDENT PROCESS THAT ALSO RELIES ON THE COMMON SYMBIOSIS SIGNALING PATHWAY TO FORM THEIR RELATIONSHIP. ADDING TRAITS FROM JOINTVETCH'S SYMBIONT TO R. PALUSTRIS AND TESTING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONSHIP COULD HELP RESOLVE THE SPECIFICS OF HOW THAT PARTNERSHIP OCCURS. THE FIRST STEP IN THIS LONG-TERM GOAL IS TO DETERMINE IF R. PALUSTRIS RESPONDS TO THE SHORT AMINO ACID CHAINS, CALLED PEPTIDES, THAT JOINTVETCH PRODUCES IN ITS NODULES IN THE SAME WAY AS THE SYMBIOTIC BACTERIUM. THE PLANT USES THE PEPTIDES TO REGULATE ITS BACTERIAL PARTNER, BUT THE PEPTIDES CAN BE LETHAL TO BACTERIA THAT ARE NOT ITS SYMBIONT. A COMBINATION OF TESTS THAT USE DIFFERENT FLUORESCENT DYES, MICROSCOPY, AND FLOW CYTOMETRY CAN ILLUSTRATE WHETHER R. PALUSTRIS BECOMES PERMEABLE, CHANGES SHAPE, AND ACCUMULATES DNA COMPARABLY TO JOINTVETCH'S SYMBIOTIC BACTERIUM. CHANGES IN THE GENES BOTH BACTERIA EXPRESS AFTER EXPOSURE TO THE PEPTIDES WILL ALSO BE RESOLVED. A TWITTER ACCOUNT WILL BE STARTED TO SHARE UPDATES ON THIS RESEARCH. AFTER DETERMINING IF R. PALUSTRIS AND JOINTVETCH'S SYMBIONT BEHAVE SIMILARLY WHEN EXPOSED TO THE REGULATING PEPTIDES, NEW TRAITS WILL BE ADDED TO R. PALUSTRIS THAT WOULD ALLOW IT TO INITIATE THE COMMON SIGNALING PATHWAY FOUND IN SYMBIOTIC PLANTS, SUPPRESS A PLANT'S IMMUNE RESPONSE, PROMOTE ROOT GROWTH, AND MORE, THUS CLARIFYING THE DETAILS OF A SYMBIOTIC PARTNERSHIP THAT COULD BE TRANSFERRED TO CROPS THAT REQUIRE SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER TO GROW.