Drought delays development of the sorghum root microbiome and enriches for monoderm bacteria

Plant Host-Associated Mechanisms for Microbial Selection

Plants serve as host to numerous microorganisms. The members of these microbial communities interact among each other and with the plant, and there is increasing evidence to suggest that the microbial community may promote plant growth, improve drought tolerance, facilitate pathogen defense and even assist in environmental remediation. Therefore, it is important to better understand the mechanisms that influence the composition and structure of microbial communities, and what role the host may play in the recruitment and control of its microbiome. In particular, there is a growing body of research to suggest that plant defense systems not only provide a layer of protection against pathogens but may also actively manage the composition of the overall microbiome. In this review, we provide an overview of the current research into mechanisms employed by the plant host to select for and control its microbiome. We specifically review recent research that expands upon the role of keystone microbial species, phytohormones, and abiotic stress, and in how they relate to plant driven dynamic microbial structuring.

Plasticity of a holobiont: desiccation induces fasting-like metabolism within the lichen microbiota

The role of host-associated microbiota in enduring dehydration and drought is largely unknown. We have used lichens to study this increasingly important problem because they are the organisms that are optimally adapted to reoccurring hydration/dehydration cycles, and they host a defined and persistent bacterial community. The analysis of metatranscriptomic datasets from bacterial communities of the lung lichen (Lobaria pulmonaria (L.) Hoffm.), sampled under representative hydration stages, revealed significant structural shifts and functional specialization to host conditions. The hydrated samples showed upregulated transcription of transport systems, tRNA modification and various porins (Omp2b by Rhizobiales), whereas the desiccated samples showed different functions related to stress adaption prominently. Carbohydrate metabolism was activated under both conditions. Under dry conditions, upregulation of a specialized ketone metabolism indicated a switch to lipid-based nutrition. Several bacterial lineages were involved in a functional transition that was reminiscent of a 'fasting metaorganism'. Similar functional adaptions were assigned to taxonomically unrelated groups, indicating hydration-related specialization of the microbiota. We were able to show that host-associated bacterial communities are well adapted to dehydration by stress protection and changes of the metabolism. Moreover, our results indicate an intense interplay in holobiont functioning under drought stress.

Strong succession in arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal communities

The ecology of fungi lags behind that of plants and animals because most fungi are microscopic and hidden in their substrates. Here, we address the basic ecological process of fungal succession in nature using the microscopic, arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) that form essential mutualisms with 70-90% of plants. We find a signal for temporal change in AMF community similarity that is 40-fold stronger than seen in the most recent studies, likely due to weekly samplings of roots, rhizosphere and soil throughout the 17 weeks from seedling to fruit maturity and the use of the fungal DNA barcode to recognize species in a simple, agricultural environment. We demonstrate the patterns of nestedness and turnover and the microbial equivalents of the processes of immigration and extinction, that is, appearance and disappearance. We also provide the first evidence that AMF species co-exist rather than simply co-occur by demonstrating negative, density-dependent population growth for multiple species. Our study shows the advantages of using fungi to test basic ecological hypotheses (e.g., nestedness v. turnover, immigration v. extinction, and coexistence theory) over periods as short as one season.