QUNTITATIVE PCR AS A TOOL FOR ANALYSIS OF DIVERSITY IN SOIL MICROBIOME

Majority of terrestrial soils are used primarily for agricultural production. The main factor of soil fertility is mediated by soil microorganisms and invertebrates. Soil microorganisms plays crutial role in ecosystems nutrient cycling and therefore any change in their diversity could have serious consequences on soil fertility and agricultural yields. Silver nanoparticles as novel potentialy nontoxic compounds are nowadays used in many daily use products and also as pesticides. But based on their antimicrobial activity, they can adversely influence structure of soil microbiome. Our work is focused on qPCR analysis of soil microbiome diversity with and without silver nanoparticles treatment. Phylogenetic analysis revealed concentration dependent shifts in microbial diversity, usually in the favor of one phylogenetic group of bacteria or fungi and analysis of melting curves showed changes inside individual phylogenetic groups.