Fire alters plant microbiome assembly patterns: integrating the plant and soil microbial response to disturbance

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34 Scopus citations

Abstract

It is increasingly evident that the plant microbiome is a strong determinant of plant health. While the ability to manipulate the microbiome in plants and ecosystems recovering from disturbance may be useful, our understanding of the plant microbiome in regenerating plant communities is currently limited. Using 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region amplicon sequencing, we characterized the leaf, stem, fine root, rhizome, and rhizosphere microbiome of < 1-yr-old aspen saplings and the associated bulk soil after a recent high-intensity prescribed fire across a burn severity gradient. Consistent with previous studies, we found that soil microbiomes are responsive to fire. We extend these findings by showing that certain plant tissue microbiomes also change in response to fire. Differences in soil microbiome compositions could be attributed to soil chemical characteristics, but, generally, plant tissue microbiomes were not related to plant tissue elemental concentrations. Using source tracking modeling, we also show that fire influences the relative dominance of microbial inoculum and the vertical inheritance of the sapling microbiome from the parent tree. Overall, our results demonstrate how fire impacts plant microbiome assembly, diversity, and composition and highlights potential for further research towards increasing plant fitness and ecosystem recovery after fire events.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)2433-2446
Number of pages14
JournalNew Phytologist
Volume230
Issue number6
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 2021

Funding

This research was sponsored by the Genomic Science Program, US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Biological and Environmental Research, as part of the Plant Microbe Interfaces Scientific Focus Area at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) (https://pmiweb.ornl.gov/). ORNL is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC, for the US Department of Energy under contract DEAC05-00OR22725. The prescribed burn was supported by the Joint Fire Science Program and US Department of Defense Environmental Technology Demonstration and Validation Program as part of the FASMME project (https://www.fasmee.net/study-sites/manning-creek). The authors thank the Fishlake National Forest for site access and archeology clearance. The authors also thank Sharon Hood and Karen Mock for comments on an earlier draft of the manuscript.

Keywords

  • 16S rRNA
  • internal transcribed spacer (ITS)
  • microbial community assembly
  • microbial source tracking
  • microbiomes
  • phyllosphere
  • plant–microbe interactions
  • rhizosphere

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