Metagenomic Insight into the Community Structure of Maize-Rhizosphere Bacteria as Predicted by Different Environmental Factors and Their Functioning within Plant Proximity.

Saheed Akinola,Ayansina Ayangbenro,Olubukola Babalola

doi:10.3390/microorganisms9071419

Saheed Akinola, Ayansina Ayangbenro + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9071419

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Journal: Microorganisms	Publication Date: Jun 30, 2021
Citations: 17	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: North-West University

Abstract

The rhizosphere microbiota contributes immensely to nutrient sequestration, productivity and plant growth. Several studies have suggested that environmental factors and high nutrient composition of plant’s rhizosphere influence the structural diversity of proximal microorganisms. To verify this assertion, we compare the functional diversity of bacteria in maize rhizosphere and bulk soils using shotgun metagenomics and assess the influence of measured environmental variables on bacterial diversity. Our study showed that the bacterial community associated with each sampling site was distinct, with high community members shared among the samples. The bacterial community was dominated by Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia. In comparison, genera such as Gemmatimonas, Streptomyces, Conexibacter, Burkholderia, Bacillus, Gemmata, Mesorhizobium, Pseudomonas and Micromonospora were significantly (p ≤ 0.05) high in the rhizosphere soils compared to bulk soils. Diversity indices showed that the bacterial composition was significantly different across the sites. The forward selection of environmental factors predicted N-NO3 (p = 0.019) as the most influential factor controlling the variation in the bacterial community structure, while other factors such as pH (p = 1.00) and sulfate (p = 0.50) contributed insignificantly to the community structure of bacteria. Functional assessment of the sampling sites, considering important pathways viz. nitrogen metabolism, phosphorus metabolism, stress responses, and iron acquisition and metabolism could be represented as Ls > Rs > Rc > Lc. This revealed that functional hits are higher in the rhizosphere soil than their controls. Taken together, inference from this study shows that the sampling sites are hotspots for biotechnologically important microorganisms.

Highlights

The symbiotic relationship between soil microbiome and plants enables easy adaptation of plants to environmental changes
Adopting a shotgun sequencing approach, this study revealed that Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes, Bacteroidetes and Verrucomicrobia have substantially predominated in the maize rhizosphere and bulk soils
At the genus level, numerous plant-beneficial bacteria were identified in the metagenome study with Gemmatimonas, Streptomyces, Conexibacter, Bacillus, Burkholderia, Gemmata, Mesorhizobium, Pseudomonas and Micromonospora found most abundant in the rhizosphere soils

Summary

Introduction

The symbiotic relationship between soil microbiome and plants enables easy adaptation of plants to environmental changes. Within the proximity of plants, microorganisms enhance plant growth by inducing direct and indirect mechanisms, such as plant pathogen suppression, enhanced nutrient availability and tolerance to environmental stressors, such as drought and salinity [1,2]. Plant produces compounds such as amino acids, carbon sources, and other root exudates that create an enabling environment for the organisms to thrive [3]. The below-ground environment of plant includes the root endosphere (within the epidermis of the plant tissue), rhizosphere soil (an area influenced by plant), and bulk soil (an area not influenced by plant). The plant endosphere and rhizosphere are usually shaped by root exudates from plant roots, which attract distinct microbial communities.

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