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Hunters or farmers? Microbiome characteristics help elucidate the diet composition in an aquatic carnivorous plant.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Utricularia are rootless aquatic carnivorous plants which have recently attracted the attention of researchers due to the peculiarities of their miniaturized genomes. Here, we focus on a novel aspect of Utricularia ecophysiology-the interactions with and within the complex communities of microorganisms colonizing their traps and external surfaces. RESULTS:Bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa inhabit the miniature ecosystem of the Utricularia trap lumen and are involved in the regeneration of nutrients from complex organic matter. By combining molecular methods, microscopy, and other approaches to assess the trap-associated microbial community structure, diversity, function, as well as the nutrient turn-over potential of bacterivory, we gained insight into the nutrient acquisition strategies of the Utricularia hosts. CONCLUSIONS:We conclude that Utricularia traps can, in terms of their ecophysiological function, be compared to microbial cultivators or farms, which center around complex microbial consortia acting synergistically to convert complex organic matter, often of algal origin, into a source of utilizable nutrients for the plants.

SUBMITTER: Sirova D

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6297986 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Hunters or farmers? Microbiome characteristics help elucidate the diet composition in an aquatic carnivorous plant.

Sirová Dagmara D Bárta Jiří J Šimek Karel K Posch Thomas T Pech Jiří J Stone James J Borovec Jakub J Adamec Lubomír L Vrba Jaroslav J

Microbiome 20181217 1

<h4>Background</h4>Utricularia are rootless aquatic carnivorous plants which have recently attracted the attention of researchers due to the peculiarities of their miniaturized genomes. Here, we focus on a novel aspect of Utricularia ecophysiology-the interactions with and within the complex communities of microorganisms colonizing their traps and external surfaces.<h4>Results</h4>Bacteria, fungi, algae, and protozoa inhabit the miniature ecosystem of the Utricularia trap lumen and are involved ...[more]

PMID: 30558682

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Hunters or farmers? Microbiome characteristics help elucidate the diet composition in an aquatic carnivorous plant.

Publications

Hunters or farmers? Microbiome characteristics help elucidate the diet composition in an aquatic carnivorous plant.

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