Anemochore Seeds Harbor Distinct Fungal and Bacterial Abundance, Composition, and Functional Profiles.

ABSTRACT: Many plants adapted to harsh environments have evolved low seed mass ('light seeds') with specific dispersal strategies, primarily either by wind (anemochory) or water (hydrochory). However, the role of their seed microbiota in their survival, and their seed microbial abundance and structure, remain insufficiently studied. Herein, we studied the light seed microbiome of eight anemochores and two hydrochores (as controls) collected from four provinces in China, using qPCR and metagenomic sequencing targeting both bacteria and fungi. Substantial variations were found for seed endophytic fungi (9.9 × 10¹⁰~7.3 × 10² gene copy numbers per seed) and bacteria (1.7 × 10¹⁰~8.0 × 10⁶). Seed microbial diversity and structure were mainly driven by the plant

SUBMITTER: Liu D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8778408 | biostudies-literature | 2022 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature