Abstract

Did you know that several different kinds of microbes live in our bodies and that they perform lots of important functions? For example, they can help us fight harmful infections and help us to get all the goodness out of the food we eat.

Plants also have special relationships with microbes, particularly those that live around their roots. These microbes can help the plant to fight disease and are important to make them fitter and stronger.

We studied a species of grass to see what was affecting the makeup of the microbial communities that lived around their roots. This will help us to understand how plants and microbes interact when an invasive plant is introduced to an environment.