Plant Hosts Modify Belowground Microbial Community Response to Extreme Drought

• DOI: 10.1128/msystems.00092-20
• Publication Date: 2020-06-29T14:24:11Z
• Authors: Allison M. Veach; Huaihai Chen; Zamin K. Yang; Audrey D. Labbe; Nancy L. Engle; Timothy J. Tschap...; Christopher W. Sc...; Melissa A. Cregger
• Keywords: Populus trichocarpa; Drought Tolerance; Soil microbiology

Drought stress negatively impacts microbial activity, but the magnitude of responses is likely dependent on a diversity belowground interactions. Populus trichocarpa individuals and no-plant bulk soils were exposed to extended drought (∼0.03% gravimetric water content [GWC] after 12 days), rewet, 12-day "recovery" period determine effects plant presence in mediating soil microbiome stability stress. Plant metabolomic analyses indicated that exposure increased host investment C N metabolic pathways (amino acids, fatty phenolic glycosides) regardless recovery. Several metabolites positively correlated with root-associated alpha-diversity, not those communities. Soil bacterial community composition shifted P. relative irrigated controls, whereas fungal only presence. However, root communities strongly drought, changed lesser degree. The proportion water-stress opportunistic operational taxonomic units (OTUs) (enriched counts drought) was high (∼11%) at end drying phases maintained rewet recovery soils, it declined over time plants present. For fungi, OTUs treatments (∼17% abundance), although relatively responsive particularly planted (<0.5% abundance for sensitive or opportunistic). These data indicate modulate via tight plant-microbe linkages during extreme scenarios, trajectories vary habitat functional groups.IMPORTANCE Climate change causes significant alterations precipitation temperature regimes are predicted become more throughout next century. Microorganisms important members within ecosystems, how they respond these changing abiotic stressors has large implications functioning recycling nutrients, health aboveground community. this response may be above- This study demonstrates beneficial associations between microbes can enhance tolerance