Abstract
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 × 1010~7.3 × 102 gene copy numbers per seed) and bacteria (1.7 × 1010~8.0 × 106). 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 Halomonas amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) and two fungal ASVs affiliated to Alternaria and Cladosporium. 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.
Highlights
Microbial influence is important during the earliest phases of plant development, as seed germination and seedling growth are fragile life stages with major effects on plant populations and agricultural productivity
Significant differences in microbial abundances were observed among the ten light seeds from anemochoric plants, with the highest values observed in CZLR (Figure 1)
16S rRNA gene copies ranged from 1.7 × 1010 in CZLR to 8.0 × 106 in SFCZ
Summary
Microbial influence is important during the earliest phases of plant development, as seed germination and seedling growth are fragile life stages with major effects on plant populations and agricultural productivity. Understanding the determinants of microbiome composition during these early life stages is important for interpreting the entire process of microbiome assembly in plants and improving our ability to enhance plant health [1,2]. A large number of studies have shown that plant seed microbial ecosystems are rich in microbial populations, which exist on the surface of seeds and within embryos [3]. Seed microbiomes have been received increasing attention due to their beneficial roles during seed germination and seeding growth, as well as their impact on plant microbiome assembly and fitness of their host plants [3,9,10,11]
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