title: New Methods To Unravel Rhizosphere Processes.
abstract: Root-triggered processes (growth, uptake and release of solutes) vary in space and time, and interact with heterogeneous soil microenvironments that provide habitats for (micro)biota on various scales. Despite tremendous progress in method development in the past decades, finding a suitable experimental set-up to investigate processes occurring at the dynamic conjunction of biosphere, hydrosphere, and pedosphere in the close vicinity of active plant roots still represents a major challenge. We discuss recent methodological developments in rhizosphere research with a focus on imaging techniques. We further review established concepts that have been updated with novel techniques, highlighting the need for combinatorial approaches to disentangle rhizosphere processes on relevant scales.
authors.affiliation: University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna, Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, Institute of Soil Research, Konrad-Lorenz Strasse 24, 3430 Tulln, Austria. Electronic address: eva.oburger@boku.ac.at.
authors.forename: Eva
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Oburger
authors.affiliation: University of Vienna, Research Network 'Chemistry meets Microbiology', Department of Microbiology and Ecosystem Science, Division of Microbial Ecology, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria. Electronic address: hannes.schmidt@microbial-ecology.net.
authors.forename: Hannes
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schmidt
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000378:metabolism; D001901:Botany / Q000379:methods*; D007553:Isotope Labeling; D010944:Plants / Q000382:microbiology; D058441:Rhizosphere
keywords: imaging techniques; in situ visualization; isotope tracing; plant–soil interface; root exudates; sequencing