Scientific Article for Students

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.

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About this Article

Reading Level
Scientific Topic
Key Words
NGSS Standards
AP Environmental Science Topics
IB Biology Topics
Scientific Methods
Type of Figure
Location of Research
Scientist Affiliation
Included Resources
+ Introductory video on the invasive “phrag” + Curated links to invasive species lesson plans
Publication Date
January 2018
Scientists wanted to know if there are different microbial communities in the native and invasive lineages of grass and whether these microbial communities influence plant productivity.
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