Realizing resilient food systems from rhizosphere to watershed scales

The root-soil interface, also known as the rhizosphere is one of the last frontiers in ecology. While the physical size of rhizosphere habitat is small compared to bulk soil, rhizosphere microbial communities are extremely active and have substantial cascading effects on ecosystem functions that support the provision of essential ecosystem goods and services. Agroecosystems based on managing ecosystem processes at scales ranging from the rhizosphere to the watershed scale will be crucial in building resilience and sustainability into our food systems.