Microbiology Commons^™

What (Or Who) Lives Inside Scotch Broom Roots?, Lisa Fazzino

Summer Research

Scotch broom (Cystis scoparius) is invading the South Puget lowlands, presumably with help from the nitrogen-fixing symbiotic bacteria that are found in its root nodules. With this nitrogen source, Scotch broom is not limited by low nitrogen levels in the soils like many other plants. The goals of our research are 1) to identify the nodulating bacteria of Scotch broom in the Northwest, British Columbia, and Canberra, Australia to explore the diversity of Scotch broom symbionts and 2) to explore the possibility of multiple occupancy in Scotch broom nodules. Using 16s rRNA sequencing, we will identify the bacteria of Scotch …