Comparing field and lab quantitative stable isotope probing for nitrogen assimilation in soil microbes.

ABSTRACT: Soil microbial communities play crucial roles in nutrient cycling and can help retain nitrogen in agricultural soils. Quantitative stable isotope probing (qSIP) is a useful method for investigating taxon-specific microbial growth and utilization of specific nutrients, such as nitrogen (N). Typically, qSIP is performed in a highly controlled lab setting, so the field relevance of lab qSIP studies remains unknown. We conducted and compared tandem lab and field qSIP to quantify the assimilation of ¹⁵N by maize-associated soil prokaryotic communities at two agricultural sites. Here, we show that field qSIP with ¹⁵N can be used to measure taxon-specific microbial N assimilation. Relative ¹⁵N assimilation rates were generally lower in the field, and the magnitude

SUBMITTER: Reed K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11837507 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature