Structural Variability and Co-Occurrence Pattern Differentiation in Rhizosphere Microbiomes of the Native Invasive Plant Echinochloa caudate in Momoge National Nature Reserve, China

Abstract

Bacteria are important soil components that function as both decomposers and plant symbionts and play a major role in plant–microbe interactions. However, little is known about the diversity of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of the native invasive plant Echinochloa caudata. In this study, we used high-throughput sequencing to investigate bacterial communities in the rhizospheres of Echinochloa caudata collected from areas with differing degrees of invasion. We found that the rhizosphere microbiome networks had small-world properties and modular structures, and the soil rhizosphere microbial communities differed significantly in the different areas analyzed. We speculate that disturbances (such as grazing) form a sediment-water environment that is beneficial for the colonization of rhizosphere microorganisms and ultimately improves the invasive ability of the species by allowing the occupation of more ecological niches and more diverse functions, eventually promoting Echinochloa caudata invasion in wetland.