Advances in stable isotope profiling (SIP) techniques to track plant-microbial interactions

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.