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\section{Results and Discussion}  In this study, we couple nucleic acid SIP with next generation sequencing (SIP-NGS) to observe C use dynamics by the soil microbial community. A series of parallel soil microcosms amended with an identical C substrate mixture, in which the only difference is the identity of the $^{13}$C-labeled substrate, were incubated for 30 days. The C substrate mixture was designed to approximate freshly degrading plant biomass and either xylose or cellulose were isotopically labeled to examine the dynamics of C assimilation for labile, soluble C and insoluble, polymeric C. Atotal mass of  5.3 mg total mass  ofthe  C substrate mixture per gram soil (including 0.42 mg xylose-C and 0.88 mg cellulose-C g soil$^{-1}$) was added to each microcosm, representing 18\% of the total C present in the soils. Microcosms were harvested at several time points during the incubation period and $^{13}$C assimilation by the microbial community was observed by sequencing 16S rRNA gene amplicons from bulk soil DNA and CsCl gradient fractions (\href{https://www.authorea.com/users/3537/articles/8459/master/file/figures/20140708_ConceptualFig2/20140708_ConceptualFig2.pdf}{Fig. S1}). Xylose degradation was observed immediately, while cellulose degradation was observed after two weeks. \subsection{Xylose C is assimilated before cellulose C and by different microbial community members in soil microcosms}  Ordination of CsCl gradient fractions by 16S rRNA gene OTU profiles demonstrates four characteristics of this DNA-SIP experiment: 1) Bouyant density accounts for significant variance in gradient fraction microbial membership/structure, 2) $^{13}$C assimilation into community DNA causes fractions from labeled and control gradients to diverge at the heavy end of the CsCl gradient, 3) $^{13}$C from cellulose was assimilated after $^{13}$C from xylose, and, 4) microbes that assimilate $^{13}$C from cellulose are generally different phylogenetic types than those that assimilate $^{13}$C from xylose. Buoyant density represents XX\% of variance in gradient fraction membership in control gradient fractions (Adonis test with weighted Unifrac distances, p-value X.XX). The categorical grouping of heavy (greater than X.XX g/mL) fractions by $^{13}$C label represents XX\% of fraction membership variance (Adonis test with weighted Unifrac distancs, p-value X.XX).