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About the Authors:
Max E. Winston
* E-mail: [email protected]
Affiliations The Field Museum, Department of Science and Education, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America, Committee on Evolutionary Biology, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Jarrad Hampton-Marcell
Affiliations Argonne National Laboratory, Institute for Genomic and Systems Biology, Lemont, Illinois, United States of America, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Iratxe Zarraonaindia
Affiliations Argonne National Laboratory, Institute for Genomic and Systems Biology, Lemont, Illinois, United States of America, Basque Country Government, Bilbao, Spain
Sarah M. Owens
Affiliations Argonne National Laboratory, Institute for Genomic and Systems Biology, Lemont, Illinois, United States of America, Computation Institute, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Corrie S. Moreau
Affiliation: The Field Museum, Department of Science and Education, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Jack A. Gilbert
Affiliations Argonne National Laboratory, Institute for Genomic and Systems Biology, Lemont, Illinois, United States of America, Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Josh Hartsel
Affiliation: Cannavest, San Diego, California, United States of America
Suzanne J. Kennedy
Affiliation: MO BIO Laboratories, Carlsbad, California, United States of America
S. M. Gibbons
Affiliations Argonne National Laboratory, Institute for Genomic and Systems Biology, Lemont, Illinois, United States of America, Graduate Program in Biophysical Sciences, University of Chicago, Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States of America
Introduction
Soil microbes play a major role in plant ecology by providing a variety of benefits such as nitrogen fixation, production of growth stimulants, improved water retention, and suppression of root diseases [1]–[4]. These vital microbial processes occur predominantly within the rhizosphere and rhizoplane, and are heavily influenced by fungal saprotrophs and plant-mutualists such as endomycorrhizal and ectomycorrhizal fungi [5], [6]. Despite the economic and medicinal importance of Cannabis spp., little is known about its soil-based microbial associations [7], [8].
Microbial composition in soil depends on complex interactions between the soil type, root zone location, and plant species [9]–[11]. Rhizosphere microbiota are highly dynamic [12], and the composition of bacterial communities can fluctuate in response to seasonal and diel temperature changes [13], water content [14], pH [15], CO2 concentration, and O2 levels [16]. Although evidence has been found for significant effects of plant cultivar...