File:Enrichment of microbial groups in plant rhizospheres.jpg

English: Enrichment of microbial groups in plant rhizospheres grown under nitrogen-limited soils. The illustrations depict a scenario in which bacteria form groups within the rhizosphere, with members that produce a specific extracellular enzyme (e.g., N-Acetyl glucoseaminidase, NAGase) targeting a particular substrate (e.g., chitin). Nitrogen that was bound to soil organic matter comprised of chitin is mineralized and captured by nearby microorganisms. Upon microbial cell turnover, these hotspots of inorganic nitrogen can be intercepted by actively growing plant roots. It is conceivable that plants and groups of microorganisms have formed complex associations that can be adaptive under resource limitation. Applying multilevel selection theory to microbiome studies could reveal novel cross-kingdom signaling mechanisms that challenge traditionally defined units of heritability.