Trichomes form genotype-specific microbial hotspots in the phyllosphere of tomato.

ABSTRACT:

Background

The plant phyllosphere is a well-studied habitat characterized by low nutrient availability and high community dynamics. In contrast, plant trichomes, known for their production of a large number of metabolites, are a yet unexplored habitat for microbes. We analyzed the phyllosphere as well as trichomes of two tomato genotypes (Solanum lycopersicum LA4024, S. habrochaites LA1777) by targeting bacterial 16S rRNA gene fragments.

Results

Leaves, leaves without trichomes, and trichomes alone harbored similar abundances of bacteria (10⁸-10⁹ 16S rRNA gene copy numbers per gram of sample). In contrast, bacterial diversity was found significantly increased in trichome samples (Shannon index: 4.4 vs. 2.5). Moreover, the community composition was signi

SUBMITTER: Kusstatscher P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8067393 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature