Rare taxa as the major drivers of the secondary metabolite accumulation in Rheum tanguticum.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Rare taxa play a role in enhancing metabolism and plant growth. However, the construction and interactions of rare taxa within the soil‒plant continuum of medicinal plants and their impact on secondary metabolite accumulation remain poorly understood. Rheum tanguticum is a unique medicinal plant on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Here, we conducted a study in which soil and plant samples from wild and cultivated R. tanguticum were collected at two sites at varying altitudes, and our focus was on both rare and abundant taxa of fungal communities in various plant compartment niches analyzed through amplicon sequencing.

Results

Our findings revealed that rare taxa in the bulk soil and rhizosphere soil were crucial factors influencing the accumulation of secondary metaboli

SUBMITTER: Li J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12309144 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jul

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature