Very few systems of study in biology include molecular level understanding of coevolution among multiple interactors since most studies still focus on pairwise interactions. An important aspect of GEMS is basic discovery – capturing natural variation in a diversity of microbial species within our single focal environment. Toward this end, Rachel Whitaker, Bill Metcalf, and others are leading an effort that includes both targeted and general culturing strategies to capture rhizobia, bombella, pseudomonads, streptomyces, and fungal species plus many new bacteria from field sites at the W.K. Kellogg Biological Station. Culturing will be paired with culture-independent sampling of soil, leaf, and other environments and expanded in future years to capture microbial viruses and other elements.