The rhizosphere is the volume of soil directly under the influence of plant roots; it is bounded by the root surface on one side and extends millimeters into the soil. It is populated with a high density of bacteria, fungi, protists, and nematodes supported by relatively labile organic compounds, such as sugars, amino acids, organic acids, and polysaccharides. These compounds are actively and passively lost from living and dying root tissues (12, 13). This rhizodeposition allows 5–100 times more organisms per unit volume to be supported in the rhizosphere than in nearby bulk soil, where the microbial community is thought to be carbon limited

Ronnie de Jonge