skip to main content
OSTI.GOV title logo U.S. Department of Energy
Office of Scientific and Technical Information

Title: The Cacti Microbiome: Interplay between Habitat-Filtering and Host-Specificity

Journal Article · · Frontiers in Microbiology
 [1];  [2];  [1];  [3];  [3];  [1]
  1. Center for Research and Advanced Studies of the National Polytechnic Inst., Irapuato (Mexico). Dept. of Genetic Engineering
  2. USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Walnut Creek, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division; US Dept. of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, Albany, CA (United States)
  3. USDOE Joint Genome Institute (JGI), Walnut Creek, CA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). Environmental Genomics and Systems Biology Division; Univ. of California, Merced, CA (United States). School of Natural Sciences

Cactaceae represents one of the most species-rich families of succulent plants native to arid and semi-arid ecosystems, yet the associations Cacti establish with microorganisms and the rules governing microbial community assembly remain poorly understood. We analyzed the composition, diversity, and factors influencing above- and below-ground bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities associated with two native and sympatric Cacti species: Myrtillocactus geometrizans and Opuntia robusta. Phylogenetic profiling showed that the composition and assembly of microbial communities associated with Cacti were primarily influenced by the plant compartment; plant species, site, and season played only a minor role. Remarkably, bacterial, and archaeal diversity was higher in the phyllosphere than in the rhizosphere of Cacti, while the opposite was true for fungi. Semi-arid soils exhibited the highest levels of microbial diversity whereas the stem endosphere the lowest. Despite their taxonomic distance, M. geometrizans and O. robusta shared most microbial taxa in all analyzed compartments. Influence of the plant host did only play a larger role in the fungal communities of the stem endosphere. These results suggest that fungi establish specific interactions with their host plant inside the stem, whereas microbial communities in the other plant compartments may play similar functional roles in these two species. Biochemical and molecular characterization of seed-borne bacteria of Cacti supports the idea that these microbial symbionts may be vertically inherited and could promote plant growth and drought tolerance for the fitness of the Cacti holobiont. We envision this knowledge will help improve and sustain agriculture in arid and semi-arid regions of the world.

Research Organization:
Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States)
Sponsoring Organization:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
Grant/Contract Number:
AC02-05CH11231
OSTI ID:
1379089
Journal Information:
Frontiers in Microbiology, Vol. 7, Issue FEB; ISSN 1664-302X
Publisher:
Frontiers Research FoundationCopyright Statement
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Citation Metrics:
Cited by: 133 works
Citation information provided by
Web of Science

References (81)

Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification journal January 2007
Endophytic bacteria of Mammillaria fraileana, an endemic rock-colonizing cactus of the southern Sonoran Desert journal March 2011
Endophytic fungi associated with cacti in Arizona journal May 2005
Structure, variation, and assembly of the root-associated microbiomes of rice journal January 2015
Practical innovations for high-throughput amplicon sequencing journal September 2013
Loss in microbial diversity affects nitrogen cycling in soil journal March 2013
Quantitative divergence of the bacterial root microbiota in Arabidopsis thaliana relatives journal December 2013
The Soil Microbiome Influences Grapevine-Associated Microbiota journal March 2015
Comparative Analyses of Total Phenols, Antioxidant Activity, and Flavonol Glycoside Profile of Cladode Flours from Different Varieties of Opuntia spp.
  • Santos-Zea, Liliana; Gutiérrez-Uribe, Janet A.; Serna-Saldivar, Sergio O.
  • Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Vol. 59, Issue 13 https://doi.org/10.1021/jf200944y
journal July 2011
Impact of Shortened Crop Rotation of Oilseed Rape on Soil and Rhizosphere Microbial Diversity in Relation to Yield Decline journal April 2013
Life on the rocks: Life on the rocks journal May 2007
Burkholderia cepacia XXVI siderophore with biocontrol capacity against Colletotrichum gloeosporioides
  • de los Santos-Villalobos, Sergio; Barrera-Galicia, Guadalupe Coyolxauhqui; Miranda-Salcedo, Mario Alberto
  • World Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology, Vol. 28, Issue 8 https://doi.org/10.1007/s11274-012-1071-9
journal May 2012
Rhizosphere microbiome assemblage is affected by plant development journal November 2013
The potential for give and take in plant–microbiome relationships journal June 2014
Plant genotype-specific archaeal and bacterial endophytes but similar Bacillus antagonists colonize Mediterranean olive trees journal March 2015
Screening of Brazilian cacti rhizobacteria for plant growth promotion under drought journal May 2013
Colorimetric Estimation of Indoleacetic acid journal January 1951
Diazotrophic potential among bacterial communities associated with wild and cultivated Agave species journal November 2014
Microbial phyllosphere populations are more complex than previously realized journal March 2001
Desert Ecosystems: Environment and Producers journal November 1973
Endophytic bacteria in cacti seeds can improve the development of cactus seedlings journal September 2009
Relationships between phyllosphere bacterial communities and plant functional traits in a neotropical forest journal September 2014
Ecological Succession and Stochastic Variation in the Assembly of Arabidopsis thaliana Phyllosphere Communities journal December 2013
The Microbe-Free Plant: Fact or Artifact? journal January 2011
Plant host habitat and root exudates shape soil bacterial community structure journal August 2008
Rock-degrading endophytic bacteria in cacti journal September 2009
Bacterial diversity on the surface of potato tubers in soil and the influence of the plant genotype: Tuber surface bacterial diversity journal September 2010
Plant compartment and biogeography affect microbiome composition in cultivated and native Agave species journal October 2015
Microbial life in the phyllosphere journal November 2012
Nutrient status, water uptake and gas exchange for three desert succulents infected with mycorrhizal fungi journal December 1992
Impact of biotic and abiotic interaction on soil microbial communities and functions: A field study journal March 2009
Host Biology in Light of the Microbiome: Ten Principles of Holobionts and Hologenomes journal August 2015
Regular ingestion of opuntia robusta lowers oxidation injury journal July 2001
Cd-hit: a fast program for clustering and comparing large sets of protein or nucleotide sequences journal May 2006
Beyond aridification: multiple explanations for the elevated diversification of cacti in the New World Succulent Biome journal March 2014
Decolorization of the polymeric dye Poly R-478 by wood-inhabiting fungi journal August 1992
An efficient microbiological growth medium for screening phosphate solubilizing microorganisms journal January 1999
Effect of Maturity Stage and Storage on Flavor Compounds and Sensory Description of Berrycactus (Myrtillocactus geometrizans) journal March 2012
Microbial cyanide production in the rhizosphere in relation to potato yield reduction and Pseudomonas SPP-mediated plant growth-stimulation journal January 1987
A global synthesis reveals biodiversity loss as a major driver of ecosystem change journal May 2012
Some Like it High! Phylogenetic Diversity of High-Elevation Cyanobacterial Community from Biological Soil Crusts of Western Himalaya journal November 2015
Defining the core Arabidopsis thaliana root microbiome journal August 2012
Microbial Populations and Activities in the Rhizoplane of Rock‐Weathering Desert Plants. II. Growth Promotion of Cactus Seedlings journal September 2004
Microbial Populations and Activities in the Rhizoplane of Rock‐Weathering Desert Plants. I. Root Colonization and Weathering of Igneous Rocks journal September 2004
The importance of the microbiome of the plant holobiont journal February 2015
Dynamic cyanobacterial response to hydration and dehydration in a desert biological soil crust journal June 2013
Insect growth regulatory effects of some extracts and sterols from Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Cactaceae) against Spodoptera frugiperda and Tenebrio molitor journal October 2005
Stochastic and deterministic processes interact in the assembly of desert microbial communities on a global scale journal March 2011
Rice root-associated bacteria: insights into community structures across 10 cultivars: Insights into the bacterial community structure of rice cultivars journal April 2011
A general suite of fungal endophytes dominate the roots of two dominant grasses in a semiarid grassland journal January 2010
Host genotype is an important determinant of the cereal phyllosphere mycobiome journal April 2015
Selective influence of plant species on microbial diversity in the rhizosphere journal March 1998
Structure and Function of the Bacterial Root Microbiota in Wild and Domesticated Barley journal March 2015
Characterization of rhizosphere and endophytic bacterial communities from leaves, stems and roots of medicinal Stellera chamaejasme L. journal July 2014
Desert Farming Benefits from Microbial Potential in Arid Soils and Promotes Diversity and Plant Health journal September 2011
Effect of Sterols Isolated from Myrtillocactus geometrizans on Growth Inhibition of Colon and Breast Cancer Cells
  • Bolaños-Carrillo, Mario Augusto; Ventura-Gallegos, Jose Luis; Saldivar-Jiménez, Arturo David
  • Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol. 2015 https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/589350
journal January 2015
Pulse dynamics and microbial processes in aridland ecosystems: Pulse dynamics in aridland soils journal March 2008
Effects of site and plant species on rhizosphere community structure as revealed by molecular analysis of microbial guilds: DGGE fingerprinting of microbial communities in the rhizosphere journal May 2006
Variation of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Rhizoplane in Response to Crop Species, Soil Type, and Crop Development journal December 2001
Both Leaf Properties and Microbe-Microbe Interactions Influence Within-Species Variation in Bacterial Population Diversity and Structure in the Lettuce (Lactuca Species) Phyllosphere journal October 2010
Horizontal transfer of the nitrogen fixation gene cluster in the cyanobacterium Microcoleus chthonoplastes journal September 2009
Bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere of three cactus species from semi-arid highlands in central Mexico journal February 2012
Cyanobacterial composition and spatial distribution based on pyrosequencing data in the Gurbantunggut Desert, Northwestern China: Cyanobacteria composition and spatial distribution journal October 2015
Microbial ecology of hot desert edaphic systems journal February 2015
Fungal Endophytes in Aboveground Tissues of Desert Plants: Infrequent in Culture, but Highly Diverse and Distinctive Symbionts journal February 2015
Diversity and heritability of the maize rhizosphere microbiome under field conditions journal April 2013
The evolution of animals and plants via symbiosis with microorganisms: Evolution via symbiosis journal March 2010
Anti-Inflammatory and Cytotoxic Activities of Chichipegenin, Peniocerol, and Macdougallin Isolated from Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mart. ex Pfeiff.) Con. journal January 2011
A Drought Resistance-Promoting Microbiome Is Selected by Root System under Desert Farming journal October 2012
Determination of Nitrogen-Fixing Phylotypes in Lyngbya sp. and Microcoleus chthonoplastes Cyanobacterial Mats from Guerrero Negro, Baja California, Mexico journal April 2004
Use of Congo red-polysaccharide interactions in enumeration and characterization of cellulolytic bacteria from the bovine rumen. journal January 1982
Anti-Inflammatory and Cytotoxic Activities of Chichipegenin, Peniocerol, and Macdougallin Isolated from Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mart. ex Pfeiff.) Con. journal January 2011
Life on the Rocks journal January 2013
Defining the core Arabidopsis thaliana root microbiome text January 2012
Microbial life in the phyllosphere text January 2012
The soil microbiome influences grapevine-associated microbiota text January 2015
Anti-Inflammatory and Cytotoxic Activities of Chichipegenin, Peniocerol, and Macdougallin Isolated from Myrtillocactus geometrizans (Mart. ex Pfeiff.) Con. journal February 2011
Diversity and heritability of the maize rhizosphere microbiome under field conditions text January 2013
Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification journal January 2007
Possible effects of temperature on bacterial communities in the rhizosphere of rice under different climatic regions journal March 2022
Isolation of a significant fraction of non-phototroph diversity from a desert Biological Soil Crust journal April 2015

Cited By (39)

Drivers and patterns of microbial community assembly in a Lyme disease vector journal June 2019
Distinct Communities of Poplar Endophytes on an Unpolluted and a Risk Element-Polluted Site and Their Plant Growth-Promoting Potential In Vitro journal November 2017
Bezerromycetales and Wiesneriomycetales ord. nov. (class Dothideomycetes), with two novel genera to accommodate endophytic fungi from Brazilian cactus journal December 2016
Strengthening desert plant biotechnology research in the United Arab Emirates: a viewpoint journal May 2018
Drought and host selection influence bacterial community dynamics in the grass root microbiome journal July 2017
A preliminary examination of bacterial, archaeal, and fungal communities inhabiting different rhizocompartments of tomato plants under real-world environments journal June 2019
Bacterial endophyte communities of three agricultural important grass species differ in their response towards management regimes journal January 2017
Cryogenic Minerals in Hawaiian Lava Tubes: A Geochemical and Microbiological Exploration journal December 2017
Field study reveals core plant microbiota and relative importance of their drivers: Core microbiota of field-grown sugarcane and their drivers journal January 2018
Phyllosphere epiphytic and endophytic fungal community and network structures differ in a tropical mangrove ecosystem journal April 2019
Niche differentiation rather than biogeography shapes the diversity and composition of microbiome of Cycas panzhihuaensis journal December 2019
Unlocking a high bacterial diversity in the coralloid root microbiome from the cycad genus Dioon journal February 2019
The role of inoculum dispersal and plant species identity in the assembly of leaf endophytic fungal communities journal July 2019
Effect of aridity and dune type on rhizosphere soil bacterial communities of Caragana microphylla in desert regions of northern China journal October 2019
Fungal-Bacterial Networks in the Populus Rhizobiome Are Impacted by Soil Properties and Host Genotype journal March 2019
Conservation of Endophyte Bacterial Community Structure Across Two Panicum Grass Species journal September 2019
Bioprospecting of South African Plants as a Unique Resource for Bioactive Endophytic Microbes journal May 2018
Drought Stress and Root-Associated Bacterial Communities journal January 2018
Plant Growth-Promoting Rhizobacteria: Context, Mechanisms of Action, and Roadmap to Commercialization of Biostimulants for Sustainable Agriculture journal October 2018
Antimicrobial peptide expression in a wild tobacco plant reveals the limits of host-microbe-manipulations in the field journal April 2018
Ecophylogeny of the endospheric root fungal microbiome of co-occurring Agrostis stolonifera journal January 2017
Biotic filtering of endophytic fungal communities in Bromus tectorum journal March 2019
Species-wide Metabolic Interaction Network for Understanding Natural Lignocellulose Digestion in Termite Gut Microbiota journal November 2019
Host identity and symbiotic association affects the taxonomic and functional diversity of the clownfish-hosting sea anemone microbiome journal February 2020
Rootstocks Shape the Rhizobiome: Rhizosphere and Endosphere Bacterial Communities in the Grafted Tomato System journal November 2018
Structural variability and niche differentiation in the rhizosphere and endosphere bacterial microbiome of field-grown poplar trees journal February 2017
Microbiome Dynamics Associated With the Atacama Flowering Desert journal January 2020
Consistent host and organ occupancy of phyllosphere bacteria in a community of wild herbaceous plant species text January 2020
Native and invading yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) microbiomes differ in composition and diversity of bacteria posted_content August 2018
Unlocking a high bacterial diversity in the coralloid root microbiome from the cycad genus Dioon journal August 2018
Consistent host and organ occupancy of phyllosphere bacteria in a community of wild herbaceous plant species journal October 2019
Antimicrobial peptide expression in a wild tobacco plant reveals the limits of host-microbe-manipulations in the field text January 2019
Fungal community assemblages in a high elevation desert environment: Absence of dispersal limitation and edaphic effects in surface soil journal December 2017
Bacterial Diversity and Population Dynamics During the Fermentation of Palm Wine From Guerrero Mexico journal March 2019
Endophytic Communities of Transgenic Poplar Were Determined by the Environment and Niche Rather Than by Transgenic Events journal March 2019
Functional Signatures of the Epiphytic Prokaryotic Microbiome of Agaves and Cacti journal January 2020
Harnessing Host-Vector Microbiome for Sustainable Plant Disease Management of Phloem-Limited Bacteria journal September 2016
Pumpkin powdery mildew disease severity influences the fungal diversity of the phyllosphere journal September 2017
Plant host and drought shape the root associated fungal microbiota in rice journal January 2019