| Title: | Inter- and intraspecific phytochemical variation correlate with epiphytic flower and leaf bacterial communities |
| Author(s): | Gaube P; Marchenko P; Muller C; Schweiger R; Tenhaken R; Keller A; Junker RR; |
| Address: | "Department of Bioinformatics, University of Wurzburg, D-97074, Wurzburg, Germany. Center for Computational and Theoretical Biology, University of Wurzburg, D-97074, Wurzburg, Germany. Department of Environment and Biodiversity, University of Salzburg, A-5020, Salzburg, Austria. Department of Chemical Ecology, Bielefeld University, D-33615, Bielefeld, Germany. Cellular and Organismic Networks, Center for Organismic Adaptation (CORA), Faculty of Biology, LMU Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, D-82152, Germany. Evolutionary Ecology of Plants, Department of Biology, University of Marburg, D-35032, Marburg, Germany" |
| ISSN/ISBN: | 1462-2920 (Electronic) 1462-2912 (Linking) |
| Abstract: | "Microbes associated with flowers and leaves affect plant health and fitness and modify the chemical phenotypes of plants with consequences for interactions of plants with their environment. However, the drivers of bacterial communities colonizing above-ground parts of grassland plants in the field remain largely unknown. We therefore examined the relationships between phytochemistry and the epiphytic bacterial community composition of flowers and leaves of Ranunculus acris and Trifolium pratense. On 252 plant individuals, we characterized primary and specialized metabolites, that is, surface sugars, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), and metabolic fingerprints, as well as epiphytic flower and leaf bacterial communities. The genomic potential of bacterial colonizers concerning metabolic capacities was assessed using bacterial reference genomes. Phytochemical composition displayed pronounced variation within and between plant species and organs, which explained part of the variation in bacterial community composition. Correlation network analysis suggests strain-specific correlations with metabolites. Analysis of bacterial reference genomes revealed taxon-specific metabolic capabilities that corresponded with genes involved in glycolysis and adaptation to osmotic stress. Our results show relationships between phytochemistry and the flower and leaf bacterial microbiomes suggesting that plants provide chemical niches for distinct bacterial communities. In turn, bacteria may induce alterations in the plants' chemical phenotype. Thus, our study may stimulate further research on the mechanisms of trait-based community assembly in epiphytic bacteria" |
| Keywords: | *Flowers/microbiology Plant Leaves/microbiology Bacteria/genetics *Microbiota/genetics Plants; |
| Notes: | "MedlineGaube, Paul Marchenko, Polina Muller, Caroline Schweiger, Rabea Tenhaken, Raimund Keller, Alexander Junker, Robert R eng Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't England 2023/04/04 Environ Microbiol. 2023 Sep; 25(9):1624-1643. doi: 10.1111/1462-2920.16382. Epub 2023 Apr 3" |
