Phyllosphere fungal communities of rubber trees exhibited biogeographical patterns, but not bacteria

Abstract

Phyllosphere microbiomes play an essential role in maintaining host health and productivity. Still, the diversity patterns and the drivers for the phyllosphere microbial community of the tropical cash crop Rubber tree (Hevea brasiliensis)are poorly understood. We sampled the phyllosphere of field-grown rubber trees in South China. We examined the phyllosphere bacterial and fungal composition, diversity and main drivers of these microbes using the Illumina ® sequencing and assembly. Fungal communities were distinctly different in different climatic regions (i.e. Xishuangbanna and Hainan Island) and climatic factors, especially mean annual temperature, and they were the main driving factors of foliar fungal communities, indicating fungal communities showed a geographical pattern. Significant differences of phyllosphere bacterial communities were detected in different habitats (i.e. endophytic and epiphytic). Most of the differences in taxa composition came from Firmicutes spp., which have been assigned as nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Since these bacteria cannot penetrate the cuticle like fungi, the abundant epiphytic Firmicutes spp. may supplement the deficiency of nitrogen acquisition. And the main factor influencing endophytic bacteria were internal factors, such as total nitrogen, total phosphorus and water content of leaves. External factors (i.e. climate) were the main driving force for epiphytic bacteria community assembly. Our work provides empirical evidence that the assembly of phyllosphere bacterial and fungal differed, which creates a precedent for preventing and controlling rubber tree diseases and pests and rubber tree yield improvement.

Phylogenetic and spatial determinants of leaf endophyte microbiomes in the flowering plant genusHeuchera(Saxifragaceae)

“…Geographic distance-Our observation that isolation-by-distance was significant for fungi and not bacteria is a remarkable parallel to recent global-scale work on soil microbiomes (Bahram et al, 2018), where both environmental parameters and geographic distance significantly determined fungal diversity. This contrasting pattern has also been previously revealed by multiple comparative investigations, reporting distinct drivers of microbiome community composition between bacteria and fungi, specifically with fungal community assembly being influenced by geographic distance more than bacterial communities (Shakya et al, 2013;Coleman-Derr et al, 2016;Wei et al, 2022). This similarity in findings across disparate plant organs and taxa may reflect distinct dispersal ecologies of fungi and bacteria.…”

Unveiling the diversity, composition, and dynamics of phyllosphere microbial communities in Alhagi sparsifolia across desert basins and seasons in Xinjiang, China

“…This emphasizes strong geographical influences on phyllosphere fungi, indicating a robust locality effect. Previous research has similarly highlighted greater geographic distinctiveness and dispersal limitations in phyllosphere fungi compared to bacteria ( Peay et al, 2007 ; Vacher et al, 2016 ; Abdelfattah et al, 2021 ; Wei et al, 2022 ). Geographical factors, such as temperature and rainfall, in Turpan and Cele impact the composition of the phyllosphere microorganism community, showcasing the multi-functionality and variety of its microorganisms.…”

“…This relationship manifests in their capacity to enhance the absorption of plant nutrients, optimize the intricate functions of microbial flora, and improve the morphological characteristics of plants ( Philippot et al, 2013 ; Vacher et al, 2016 ; Xiong et al, 2021a , b ). The investigation reveals substantial disparities in the size and composition of phyllosphere microorganism populations, both spatially and temporally, and even within the same plant species across different locations ( Jackson et al, 2006 ; Bonito et al, 2014 ; Bashir et al, 2022 ; Perreault and Laforest-Lapointe, 2022 ; Wei et al, 2022 ).…”

Leaf traits and temperature shape the elevational patterns of phyllosphere microbiome

“…For instance, fungal organic matter decomposition benefits bacteria (Boer et al, 2005). How abiotic and biotic filters that shape phyllosphere–microbiome associations remain poorly investigated; however (Agler et al, 2016; Cordier et al, 2012; Wei et al, 2022), despite, a growing appreciation for how complex interactions among microbial communities could largely matter for the health of plants.…”

“…For instance, endophytic fungi directly acquire nutrients from inner plant tissues, whereas epiphytic microbes in contact with the external environment mostly depend on the amount of nutrients either exuded from leaves or deposited from the atmosphere (Inácio et al, 2002). Separating the relative effects of abiotic and biotic filters on endo‐ and epiphytic phyllosphere communities remains a source of uncertainty (Agler et al, 2016; Cordier et al, 2012; Wei et al, 2022), and constitutes an important step in our understanding of plant–microbe associations.…”