Rhizodeposition is the loss and release of organic and inorganic compounds by plant roots into the rhizosphere (the soil volume affected by the presence of plant roots). Rhizodeposition provides a carbon and energy source, thus stimulating the development of bacterial communi- ties in the rhizosphere. In anaerobic environments, rhizo- deposition can also provide oxygen as an electron acceptor and may stimulate the development of faculta- tive anaerobic bacterial communities (Hartmann et al. 2009). In addition to prokaryotes (bacteria and archaea), eukaryotes (such as fungi, protozoa, nematodes and meso- and macro-fauna) are also found in the rhizo- sphere (Phillips et al. 2003).