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Title: Relationships between Arabidopsis thaliana and soil bacterial communities

Author
item SUGIYAMA, AKIFUMI - Colorado State University
item BAKKER, MATTHEW - Colorado State University
item BADRI, DAYAKAR - Colorado State University
item Manter, Daniel
item VIVANCO, JORGE - Colorado State University

Submitted to: Botany
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/13/2012
Publication Date: 12/6/2012
Citation: Sugiyama, A., Bakker, M., Badri, D., Manter, D.K., Vivanco, J. 2012. Relationships between Arabidopsis thaliana and soil bacterial communities. Botany. 91:123-126.

Interpretive Summary: Rhizosphere microbial communities are impacted by resident plant species and have reciprocal effects on their host plants. In this study, we collected resident soil from five wild populations of Arabidopsis in the United States and Europe in an effort to characterize the soil microbiome that co-exists with Arabidopsis in nature. Pyrosequencing analysis demonstrated that the bacterial communities of these soils differed significantly. While pathogens associated with the Brassica family were rare, diverse genera of potential plant growth promoting rhizobacteria were detected. Bacterial diversity and evenness were similar among soils. Seed corresponding to the five Arabidopsis genotypes was grown in each soil, including resident soil and non-resident soils. Both positive and negative relationships between plant growth performance and the abundance of particular bacterial taxa across soils were observed. However, patterns of relationship between plant growth performance and bacterial taxon abundance differed among Arabidopsis genotypes. Root exudate profiling revealed differences among genotypes in the secretion of compounds into the rhizosphere. This work sheds light on the bacterial populations naturally associated with Arabidopsis and suggests implications of the rhizosphere microbiome for plant growth performance.

Technical Abstract: Rhizosphere microbial communities are impacted by resident plant species and have reciprocal effects on their host plants. In this study, we collected resident soil from five wild populations of Arabidopsis in the United States and Europe in an effort to characterize the soil microbiome that co-exists with Arabidopsis in nature. Pyrosequencing analysis demonstrated that the bacterial communities of these soils differed significantly. While pathogens associated with the Brassica family were rare, diverse genera of potential plant growth promoting rhizobacteria were detected. Bacterial diversity and evenness were similar among soils. Seed corresponding to the five Arabidopsis genotypes was grown in each soil, including resident soil and non-resident soils. Both positive and negative relationships between plant growth performance and the abundance of particular bacterial taxa across soils were observed. However, patterns of relationship between plant growth performance and bacterial taxon abundance differed among Arabidopsis genotypes. Root exudate profiling revealed differences among genotypes in the secretion of compounds into the rhizosphere. This work sheds light on the bacterial populations naturally associated with Arabidopsis and suggests implications of the rhizosphere microbiome for plant growth performance.