Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles
Many plants adapted to harsh environments have evolved low seed mass (‘light seeds’) with specific dispersal strategies, primarily either by wind (anemochory) or water (hydrochory). However, the role of their seed microbiota in their survival, and their seed microbial abundance and structure, remain...
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MDPI AG
2022-01-01
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| Series: | Journal of Fungi |
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| author | Dong Liu Jie Cai Huajie He Shimei Yang Caspar C. C. Chater Fuqiang Yu |
| author_facet | Dong Liu Jie Cai Huajie He Shimei Yang Caspar C. C. Chater Fuqiang Yu |
| author_sort | Dong Liu |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Many plants adapted to harsh environments have evolved low seed mass (‘light seeds’) with specific dispersal strategies, primarily either by wind (anemochory) or water (hydrochory). However, the role of their seed microbiota in their survival, and their seed microbial abundance and structure, remain insufficiently studied. Herein, we studied the light seed microbiome of eight anemochores and two hydrochores (as controls) collected from four provinces in China, using qPCR and metagenomic sequencing targeting both bacteria and fungi. Substantial variations were found for seed endophytic fungi (9.9 × 10<sup>10</sup>~7.3 × 10<sup>2</sup> gene copy numbers per seed) and bacteria (1.7 × 10<sup>10</sup>~8.0 × 10<sup>6</sup>). Seed microbial diversity and structure were mainly driven by the plant genotype (species), with weak influences from their host plant classification level or dispersal mode. Seed microbial composition differences were clear at the microbial phylum level, with dominant proportions (~75%) for Proteobacteria and Ascomycota. The light seeds studied harbored unique microbial signatures, sharing only two <i>Halomonas</i> amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and two fungal ASVs affiliated to <i>Alternaria</i> and <i>Cladosporium.</i> A genome-level functional profile analysis revealed that seed bacterial microbiota were enriched in amino acid, nucleoside, and nucleotide biosynthesis, while in fungal communities the generation of precursor metabolites and respiration were more highly represented. Together, these novel insights provide a deeper understanding of highly diversified plant-specific light seed microbiota and ecological strategies for plants in harsh environments. |
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| spelling | doaj.art-2ffd3a46e71c46e48c69447a57f1f39f2023-11-23T14:18:52ZengMDPI AGJournal of Fungi2309-608X2022-01-01818910.3390/jof8010089Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional ProfilesDong Liu0Jie Cai1Huajie He2Shimei Yang3Caspar C. C. Chater4Fuqiang Yu5The Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, ChinaThe Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, ChinaThe Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, ChinaThe Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, ChinaRoyal Botanic Gardens, Kew, Richmond TW9 3AE, UKThe Germplasm Bank of Wild Species, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Fungal Diversity and Green Development, Kunming Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650201, ChinaMany plants adapted to harsh environments have evolved low seed mass (‘light seeds’) with specific dispersal strategies, primarily either by wind (anemochory) or water (hydrochory). However, the role of their seed microbiota in their survival, and their seed microbial abundance and structure, remain insufficiently studied. Herein, we studied the light seed microbiome of eight anemochores and two hydrochores (as controls) collected from four provinces in China, using qPCR and metagenomic sequencing targeting both bacteria and fungi. Substantial variations were found for seed endophytic fungi (9.9 × 10<sup>10</sup>~7.3 × 10<sup>2</sup> gene copy numbers per seed) and bacteria (1.7 × 10<sup>10</sup>~8.0 × 10<sup>6</sup>). Seed microbial diversity and structure were mainly driven by the plant genotype (species), with weak influences from their host plant classification level or dispersal mode. Seed microbial composition differences were clear at the microbial phylum level, with dominant proportions (~75%) for Proteobacteria and Ascomycota. The light seeds studied harbored unique microbial signatures, sharing only two <i>Halomonas</i> amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and two fungal ASVs affiliated to <i>Alternaria</i> and <i>Cladosporium.</i> A genome-level functional profile analysis revealed that seed bacterial microbiota were enriched in amino acid, nucleoside, and nucleotide biosynthesis, while in fungal communities the generation of precursor metabolites and respiration were more highly represented. Together, these novel insights provide a deeper understanding of highly diversified plant-specific light seed microbiota and ecological strategies for plants in harsh environments.https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/1/89anemochorelight seedendophytic microbiomequantitative real-time PCRMetaCyc genome database |
| spellingShingle | Dong Liu Jie Cai Huajie He Shimei Yang Caspar C. C. Chater Fuqiang Yu Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles Journal of Fungi anemochore light seed endophytic microbiome quantitative real-time PCR MetaCyc genome database |
| title | Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles |
| title_full | Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles |
| title_fullStr | Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles |
| title_full_unstemmed | Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles |
| title_short | Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles |
| title_sort | anemochore seeds harbor distinct fungal and bacterial abundance composition and functional profiles |
| topic | anemochore light seed endophytic microbiome quantitative real-time PCR MetaCyc genome database |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2309-608X/8/1/89 |
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