Differences in phyllosphere microbiomes among different Populus spp. in the same habitat

Jiaying Liu; Weixi Zhang; Yuting Liu; Wenxu Zhu; Zhengsai Yuan; Xiaohua Su; Changjun Ding

doi:10.3389/fpls.2023.1143878

Differences in phyllosphere microbiomes among different Populus spp. in the same habitat

Front Plant Sci. 2023 Mar 30:14:1143878. doi: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1143878. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Jiaying Liu^{1

2}, Weixi Zhang^{2

3}, Yuting Liu¹, Wenxu Zhu^{1

2

4}, Zhengsai Yuan^{2

3}, Xiaohua Su^{2

3}, Changjun Ding^{2

3}

Affiliations

¹ College of Forestry, Shenyang Agriculture University, Shenyang, China.
² State Key Laboratory of Tree Genetics and Breeding, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Tree Breeding and Cultivation of State Forestry Administration, Research Institute of Forestry, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Beijing, China.
⁴ Research Station of Liaohe-River Plain Forest Ecosystem, Chinese Forest Ecosystem Research Network (CFERN), College of Forestry, Shenyang Agricultural University, Tieling, China.

Abstract

Introduction: The above-ground parts of terrestrial plants are collectively known as the phyllosphere. The surface of the leaf blade is a unique and extensive habitat for microbial communities. Phyllosphere bacteria are the second most closely associated microbial group with plants after fungi and viruses, and are the most abundant, occupying a dominant position in the phyllosphere microbial community. Host species are a major factor influencing the community diversity and structure of phyllosphere microorganisms.

Methods: In this study, six Populus spp. were selected for study under the same site conditions and their phyllosphere bacterial community DNA fragments were paired-end sequenced using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene amplicon sequencing. Based on the distribution of the amplicon sequence variants (ASVs), we assessed the alpha-diversity level of each sample and further measured the differences in species abundance composition among the samples, and predicted the metabolic function of the community based on the gene sequencing results.

Results: The results revealed that different Populus spp. under the same stand conditions resulted in different phyllosphere bacterial communities. The bacterial community structure was mainly affected by the carbon and soluble sugar content of the leaves, and the leaf nitrogen, phosphorus and carbon/nitrogen were the main factors affecting the relative abundance of phyllosphere bacteria.

Discussion: Previous studies have shown that a large proportion of the variation in the composition of phyllosphere microbial communities was explained by the hosts themselves. In contrast, leaf-borne nutrients were an available resource for bacteria living on the leaf surface, thus influencing the community structure of phyllosphere bacteria. These were similar to the conclusions obtained in this study. This study provides theoretical support for the study of the composition and structure of phyllosphere bacterial communities in woody plants and the factors influencing them.

Keywords: Populus spp.; microbiomes; phyllosphere; phyllosphere microbial community; phyllosphere microorganism.

Grants and funding

This work was supported by the National Key Research and Development Program of China (grant number 2021YFD2201205), and the Basic Research Fund of CAF (grant number CAFYBB2020SZ002).