Arabidopsis thaliana accession Col-0 was used. All seeds were surface-sterilized with 70% bleach (Clorox, Oakland, CA), 0.2% Tween-20 (MilliporeSigma, St. Louis, MO) for 8 minutes, and rinsed 3 times with sterile distilled water to eliminate any seed-borne microbes on the seed surface. Seeds were stratified at 4°C in the dark for 2 days. Plants were germinated on vertical square 12 X 12 cm agar plates (Fisher Scientific, Hampton, NH) with Johnson medium (JM; [4 (link)]) containing 0.5% sucrose (MilliporeSigma, St. Louis, MO) and 1,000 μM Pi, for 7 days. Then, 10 plants were transferred to each vertical agar plate with amended JM lacking sucrose at one of the following experimental Pi concentrations: 0, 10, 30, 50, 100, or 1,000 μM Pi. The SynCom was spread on the agar prior to transferring plants. Each experiment included unplanted agar plates with SynCom for each media type (designated NP) and uninoculated plates with plants for each media type (designated NB). Plants were placed in randomized order in growth chambers and grown under a 16-hour dark/8-hour light regime at 21°C day/18°C night for 12 days (the period of time it takes roots to reach the bottom of the plate).
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