Dataset Information

Arbuscular and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Associated with the Invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolius) and Two Native Plants in South Florida.

ABSTRACT: The potential role of soil fungi in the invasion of the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius-BP) in Florida is not known; although the low biotic resistance of Florida soils is often invoked to explain the prevalence of many invasive species. To gain an initial insight into BP's mycorrhizal associations, this study examined the rhizobiome of BP and two native plants (Hamelia patens and Bidens alba) across six locations. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associated with the roots of the target plants and bulk soil was characterized by spore morphotyping. Sequence analysis of metagenomic DNA from lateral roots/rhizosphere of BP (n = 52) and a native shrub H. patens (n = 37) on the same parcel yielded other fungal associates. Overall, the total population of AMF associated with BP was about two folds greater than that of the two native plants (p = 0.0001) growing on the same site. The dominant AMF under Schinus were members of the common Glomus and Rhizophagus spp. By contrast, the most prevalent AMF in the bulk soil and rhizosphere of the two Florida native plants, Acaulospora spp (29%) was sharply diminished (9%) under BP rhizosphere. Analysis of the ITS2 sequences also showed that Schinus rhizosphere had a high relative abundance of ectomycorrhizal fungi (76.5%) compared to the native H. patens (2.6%), with the species Lactifluus hygrophoroides (Basidiomycota) being the most prevalent at 61.5% (p < 0.05). Unlike the native plants where pathogenic fungi like Phyllosticta sp., Phoma sp., and Neofusicoccum andium were present (8.1% for H. patens), only one potentially pathogenic fungal taxon was detected (3.9%) under BP. The striking disparity in the relative abundance of AMF and other fungal types between BP and the native species is quite significant. Fungal symbionts could aide plant invasion via resource-use efficiency and other poorly defined mechanisms of protection from pathogens in their invaded range. This report exposes a potentially significant but previously unappreciated fungal dimension of a complex invasion system and underscores the need to characterize these fungal symbionts, their role and mode of action during invasion; with the goal of devising measures for invasion control and ecological restoration.

SUBMITTER: Dawkins K

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5397465 | biostudies-literature | 2017

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Arbuscular and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Associated with the Invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolius) and Two Native Plants in South Florida.

Dawkins Karim K Esiobu Nwadiuto N

Frontiers in microbiology 20170420

The potential role of soil fungi in the invasion of the Brazilian pepper tree (Schinus terebinthifolius-BP) in Florida is not known; although the low biotic resistance of Florida soils is often invoked to explain the prevalence of many invasive species. To gain an initial insight into BP's mycorrhizal associations, this study examined the rhizobiome of BP and two native plants (Hamelia patens and Bidens alba) across six locations. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) associate ...[more]

PMID: 28473811

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Project description:Little is known about the rhizosphere microbiome of the Brazilian pepper tree (BP) - a noxious category 1 invasive plant inducing an enormous economic and ecological toll in Florida. Some invasive plants have been shown to drastically change the soil microbiome compared to other native plants. The rhizobacteria community structure of BP, two Florida native plants (Hamelia patens and Bidens alba) and bulk soils were characterized across six geographical sites. Although all 19 well-known and 10 poorly described phyla were observed in all plant rhizospheres, BP contained the least total bacterial abundance (OTUs) with a distinct bacteria community structure and clustering patterns differing significantly (pCOA and PERMANOVA) from the natives and bulk soil. The BP rhizosphere community contained the highest overall Proteobacteria diversity (Shannon's diversity 3.25) in spite of a twofold reduction in richness of the Gammaproteobacteria. Remarkably, the invasive BP rhizosphere was highly enriched with Alphaproteobacteria, dominated by Rhizobiales, including Rhodoplanes and Bradyrhizobiaceae. Also, the relative abundance of Spartobacteria under BP rhizosphere was more than twice that of native plants and bulk soil; featuring unique members of the family Chthoniobacteraceae (DA101 genus). The trend was different for the family Pedosphaerae in the phylum Verrucomicrobia where the abundance declined under BP (26%) compared to (33-66%) for the H. patens native plant and bulk soil. BP shared the lowest number of unique phylotypes with bulk soil (146) compared to the other native plants with bulk soil (B. alba - 222, H. patens - 520) suggestive of its capacity to overcome biotic resistance. Although there were no specific biomarkers found, taken together, our data suggests that the occurrence of key bacteria groups across multiple taxonomic ranks provides a somewhat consistent profile of the invasive BP rhizo-community. Furthermore, based on the observed prevalence of a bacteria group (Spartobacteria - Chthoniobacteraceae - DA101); we propose that they have a possible role in BP biology. Our results emphasize the need to further investigate the potential value of "unique phylotypes" in the rhizosphere relative to bulk soil as an ecological tool for monitoring plant-cover/invasion history; or even detecting exotic plants with invasion tendencies.

Dataset Information

Arbuscular and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Associated with the Invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree (Schinus terebinthifolius) and Two Native Plants in South Florida.

Publications

Arbuscular and Ectomycorrhizal Fungi Associated with the Invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree (<i>Schinus terebinthifolius</i>) and Two Native Plants in South Florida.

Similar Datasets

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