The National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON): A Research Platform for Multi-Decadal Continent-Scale Soil Microbial Ecology.

Microorganisms are the primary drivers of Earth’s biogeochemical cycles, however significant anthropogenic impact can shift microbial communities altering the biogeochemical cycles they mediate. Although microorganisms play a key role in mediating ecosystem response to global change, most ecosystem models consign microbial communities to ‘black box’ status with little consideration for community structure and actual function. We outline a platform for measuring temporal and spatial dynamics of microbial communities throughout the continental United States over the next three decades. NEON’s massive sequencing approach aims to provide structure via 16S and ITS sequencing, functional potential through shotgun metagenomics, and actual function using environmental transcriptomics for soil microbial populations at an unprecedented spatiotemporal scale. Integration of microbial communities with “macro”- ecology and biogeochemistry facilitates development of generalized models for biology across all size scales.