Speaker
Description
Seeds harbor diverse microbial communities, both on their surfaces (epiphytes) and within their tissues (endophytes). While seed endophytes remained largely overlooked for decades, recent research highlights their critical roles in seedling development, including promoting nutrient uptake and protecting against pathogens. However, the factors shaping seed and seedling microbiomes remain poorly understood.
In this study, we investigated how parental exposure to drought and fertilization, applied in a fully crossed design, affects the seed and seedling microbiome composition and diversity in Rumex crispus. We further examined how these microbial communities influence colonization of seedling roots and leaves under sterile conditions. Finally, we tested whether additional fertilization of seedlings modulates these microbiome assembly processes.
To address these questions, we conducted next-generation sequencing of seeds and seedling tissues, using aseptic growth systems with sterilized media to isolate microbial transmission and assembly effects.
Our results show that seed microbial communities differ markedly from those of seedlings, with clear distinctions between root- and leaf-associated microbiota. Preliminary findings suggest that both drought and fertilization experienced by the parent plants influence seed microbiome composition and its transmission to seedlings. Moreover, fertilization of seedlings interacts with parental treatments to further shape the microbiome structure.
This study closely aligns with key research areas of iDiv combining molecular biodiversity with biodiversity change and contributes to our understanding of how climate change drivers such as drought and nutrient enrichment affect microbiome inheritance and microbiome establishment during early plant development.
| Status Group | Master Student |
|---|---|
| Poster Presentation Option | Yes, I’m willing to present as a poster. |
