Rhizosphere and Phyllosphere Microbial communities of male and female plants of Morus macroura

Abstract

Plants are extensive habitats for microorganisms, and their impact on host environmental adaptability alters plant growth and nutrition’s. The interaction between plants and microorganisms directly influenced plant health and agricultural sustainability. Studying the diversity and interactions of endophytic bacteria in Morus macroura contributed to the sustainable development of M. macroura cultivation. This study used high-throughput gene sequencing to measure and analyze the relative abundance of bacteria in the rhizosphere and phyllosphere of male and female M. macroura. Results indicated significant differences in carbon, potassium, calcium, sulfur, boron, zinc, and copper levels between male and female phyllosphere. There was differential enrichment of certain bacterial communities in male and female M. macroura plants. Bacterial community analysis based on ASVs showed that M. macroura shared Proteobacteria as a dominant phylum in both male and female rhizosphere and phyllosphere. Linear discriminant indicated that Sphingosinicella and Arsenophonus were more abundant in the phyllosphere of female plants, while Hymenobacter was more abundant in the phyllosphere of male plants. RB41 was more abundant in the rhizosphere of female plants, whereas Gemmatimonas and Sphingomonas were more abundant in the rhizosphere of male plants. Redundancy analysis revealed a significant correlation between leaf Molybdenum (Mo), Magnesium (Mg), Carbon (C), and Copper (Cu) with the structure of the phyllosphere bacterial community. This study provided important insights into the relationship between M. macroura and bacterial communities, as well as the vertical transmission of bacteria within the plants.