Bacteria-grazing amoebae in situ in the rhizosphere

Summary An ultrastructural investigation of amoebae in situ in the rhizosphere showed that the protozoa are closely associated with soil aggregates and produce long pseudopodia that penetrate micropores. This could partly explain why bacteria are generally confined to the interiors of microaggregates. The presence of cytologically intact and partly digested bacteria in the food vacuoles indicates that rhizosphere bacteria are both ingested and digested by the amoebae. This digestion could lead to the recycling of P and N immobilized in rhizosphere microorganisms.