Abstract
Mangrove forest trees play important ecological functions at the interface between terrestrial and marine ecosystems. However, despite playing crucial roles in plant health and productivity, there is little information on microbiomes of the tree species in mangrove ecosystems. Thus, in this study we aimed to characterize the microbiome in soil (rhizosphere) and plant (root, stem, and leaf endosphere) compartments of the widely distributed mangrove tree Rhizophora stylosa. Surprisingly, bacterial operational taxonomic units (OTUs) were only confidently detected in rhizosphere soil, while fungal OTUs were detected in all soil and plant compartments. The major detected bacterial phyla were affiliated to Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Planctomycetes, and Chloroflexi. Several nitrogen-fixing bacterial OTUs were detected, and the presence of nitrogen-fixing bacteria was confirmed by nifH gene based-PCR in all rhizosphere soil samples, indicating their involvement in N acquisition in the focal mangrove ecosystem. We detected taxonomically (54 families, 83 genera) and functionally diverse fungi in the R. stylosa mycobiome. Ascomycota (mainly Dothideomycetes, Eurotiomycetes, Sordariomycetes) were most diverse in the mycobiome, accounting for 86% of total detected fungal OTUs. We found significant differences in fungal taxonomic and functional community composition among the soil and plant compartments. We also detected significant differences in fungal OTU richness (p < 0.002) and community composition (p < 0.001) among plant compartments. The results provide the first information on the microbiome of rhizosphere soil to leaf compartments of mangrove trees and associated indications of ecological functions in mangrove ecosystems.
Highlights
Mangrove forest ecosystems encompass genetically diverse communities at interfaces between terrestrial and marine ecosystems in many subtropical and tropical regions [1]
We provide the first information on mangrove tree microbiomes, encompassing root, stem and leaf endospheres and the rhizosphere
Our results reveal that fungi dominate the plant endosphere microbiome of healthy rhizosphere soil (Rs). stylosa, which seems to be almost devoid of bacteria, at least at our study site
Summary
Mangrove forest ecosystems encompass genetically diverse communities at interfaces between terrestrial and marine ecosystems in many subtropical and tropical regions [1]. These transition ecosystems provide spawning and breeding grounds, nurseries, and habitats for many aquatic, semi-aquatic and terrestrial animals. Mangrove forests are rich sources of honey, and diverse medicinal, cosmetic, and other products [2,3]. They attract many eco-tourists, anglers, and birdwatchers, contributing to incomes of countries with coastal mangroves [2,3]
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