Branching into the microbial world: UW researchers reveal the hidden microbiomes shaping Madison’s trees

Branching into the microbial world: UW researchers reveal the hidden microbiomes shaping Madison’s trees

Recent research has expanded on the idea that the trees around us are far more complex than they appear.  Hidden beneath bark and throughout the roots are vast communities of microbes, trillions of bacterial, fungal and viral cells that form invisible ecosystems within each tree. A recent New York Times article drew attention to this overlooked reality, describing how every tree contains not only its own plant cells but also an entire microbiome…