OpenAlex · 2026-07-25
A PhD thesis tracked how maize roots shape the microscopic life in surrounding soil over time, finding that the type of carbon roots release determines which microbes thrive nearby, and that dying roots leave behind channels and microbial 'seed banks' that influence the next generation of plants — for better or worse under continuous corn growing.
Microbial growth kicks in at 60% of microbial biomass carbon for simple sugars, but needs 250–630% for complex root compounds — meaning only roots themselves trigger activity in the immediate root zone.
Only about 10% of old root channels (biopores) were physically reused by new roots, but those recycled channels hosted microbial communities with higher variability, shifting from decomposer back toward root-zone communities.
Five years of continuous maize steadily increased potentially pathogenic water-mold species and predatory single-celled organisms, with clay-loam soils showing stronger legacy effects than sandy soils.
