Tillandsia landbeckii phyllosphere and laimosphere as refugia for bacterial life in a hyperarid desert environment

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Title:Main Title: Tillandsia landbeckii phyllosphere and laimosphere as refugia for bacterial life in a hyperarid desert environment
Description:Abstract: Background The lack of water is a major constraint for microbial life in hyperarid deserts. Consequently, the abundance and diversity of microorganisms in common habitats such as soil are strongly reduced, and colonization occurs primarily by specifically adapted microorganisms that thrive in particular refugia to escape the harsh conditions that prevail in these deserts. We suggest that plants provide another refugium for microbial life in hyperarid deserts. We studied the bacterial colonization of Tillandsia landbeckii (Bromeliaceae) plants, which occur in the hyperarid regions of the Atacama Desert in Chile, one of the driest and oldest deserts on Earth. Results We detected clear differences between the bacterial communities being plant associated to those of the bare soil surface (PERMANOVA, R2 = 0.187, p = 0.001), indicating that Tillandsia plants host a specific bacterial community, not only dust-deposited cells. Moreover, the bacterial communities in the phyllosphere were distinct from those in the laimosphere, i.e., on buried shoots (R2 = 0.108, p = 0.001), indicating further habitat differentiation within plant individuals. The bacterial taxa detected in the phyllosphere are partly well-known phyllosphere colonizers, but in addition, some rather unusual taxa (subgroup2 Acidobacteriae, Acidiphilum) and insect endosymbionts (Wolbachia, “Candidatus Uzinura”) were found. The laimosphere hosted phyllosphere-associated as well as soil-derived taxa. The phyllosphere bacterial communities showed biogeographic patterns across the desert (R2 = 0.331, p = 0.001). These patterns were different and even more pronounced in the laimosphere (R2 = 0.467, p = 0.001), indicating that different factors determine community assembly in the two plant compartments. Furthermore, the phyllosphere microbiota underwent temporal changes (R2 = 0.064, p = 0.001). Conclusions Our data demonstrate that T. landbeckii plants host specific bacterial communities in the phyllosphere as well as in the laimosphere. Therewith, these plants provide compartment-specific refugia for microbial life in hyperarid desert environments. The bacterial communities show biogeographic patterns and temporal variation, as known from other plant microbiomes, demonstrating environmental responsiveness and suggesting that bacteria inhabit these plants as viable microorganisms.
Identifier:https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-023-01684-x (DOI)
Citation Advice:Hakobyan, A., Velte, S., Sickel, W. et al. Tillandsia landbeckii phyllosphere and laimosphere as refugia for bacterial life in a hyperarid desert environment. Microbiome 11, 246 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40168-023-01684-x
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Creators:Anna Hakobyan (Author), Stefanie Velte (Author), Wiebke Sickel (Author), Dietmar Quandt (Author), Alexandra Stoll (Author), Claudia Knief (Principal Investigator)
Publisher:BMC
Publication Year:2023
Topic
CRC1211 Topic:Biology
Related Subprojects:B4, B1, B7
Subjects:Keywords: Biodiversity, Taxonomy , Molecular Biology, Ecology of Plants, Biogeography
Geogr. Information Topic:Biota
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Filename:Hakobyan-2023-Microbiome.pdf
Data Type:Data Paper - Research Article
File Size:4.1 MB
Date:Available: 08.11.2023
Mime Type:application/pdf
Data Format:PDF
Language:English
Status:Completed
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Download Permission:Free
Download Information:Open access publication
General Access and Use Conditions:According to the CRC1211DB data policy agreement.
Access Limitations:According to the CRC1211DB data policy agreement.
Licence:None
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Publication Status:Published
Review Status:Peer reviewed
Publication Type:Article
Article Type:Journal
Source:Microbiome
Source Website:https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-023-01684-x#Abs1
Issue:246
Volume:11
Number of Pages:18 (1 - 18)
Metadata Details
Metadata Creator:Anna Hakobyan
Metadata Created:28.11.2023
Metadata Last Updated:28.11.2023
Subproject:B4
Funding Phase:2
Metadata Language:English
Metadata Version:V50
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