A Hypothetical Bottleneck in the Plant Microbiome
Abstract
The plant microbiome may be bottlenecked at the level of endophytes of individual seeds. Strong defense of developing seeds is predicted by optimal defense theory, and we have experimentally demonstrated exclusionary interactions among endophytic microbes infecting individual seeds of Centaurea stoebe. Having found a single, PDA-culturable microbe per seed or none in an exploratory study with Centaurea stoebe, we completed a more extensive survey of an additional 98 plant species representing 39 families. We again found that individual, surface-sterilized seeds of all species hosted only one PDA-culturable bacterial or fungal endophyte per seed, or none. PDA- unculturables were not determined but we expect them to also be bottlenecked in individual seeds, as they too should be governed by exclusionary interactions. If the bottleneck were confirmed with high-throughput sequencing of individual seeds then it would make sense to further investigate the Primary Symbiont Hypothesis (PSH). This includes the prediction that primary symbionts (i.e., the winners of the exclusionary battles among seed endophytes) have strong effects on seedlings depending on symbiont identity.
- Authors:
- Publication Date:
- Research Org.:
- Univ. of Idaho, Moscow, ID (United States)
- Sponsoring Org.:
- USDOE Office of Science (SC), Biological and Environmental Research (BER)
- OSTI Identifier:
- 1462287
- Alternate Identifier(s):
- OSTI ID: 1510447
- Grant/Contract Number:
- SC0014547
- Resource Type:
- Published Article
- Journal Name:
- Frontiers in Microbiology
- Additional Journal Information:
- Journal Name: Frontiers in Microbiology Journal Volume: 9; Journal ID: ISSN 1664-302X
- Publisher:
- Frontiers Media SA
- Country of Publication:
- Switzerland
- Language:
- English
- Subject:
- 59 BASIC BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES; seeds; maternal transmission; plant microbiome; priority effects; fungi; bacteria
Citation Formats
Newcombe, George, Harding, Abby, Ridout, Mary, and Busby, Posy E. A Hypothetical Bottleneck in the Plant Microbiome. Switzerland: N. p., 2018.
Web. doi:10.3389/fmicb.2018.01645.
Newcombe, George, Harding, Abby, Ridout, Mary, & Busby, Posy E. A Hypothetical Bottleneck in the Plant Microbiome. Switzerland. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01645
Newcombe, George, Harding, Abby, Ridout, Mary, and Busby, Posy E. Tue .
"A Hypothetical Bottleneck in the Plant Microbiome". Switzerland. doi:https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01645.
@article{osti_1462287,
title = {A Hypothetical Bottleneck in the Plant Microbiome},
author = {Newcombe, George and Harding, Abby and Ridout, Mary and Busby, Posy E.},
abstractNote = {The plant microbiome may be bottlenecked at the level of endophytes of individual seeds. Strong defense of developing seeds is predicted by optimal defense theory, and we have experimentally demonstrated exclusionary interactions among endophytic microbes infecting individual seeds of Centaurea stoebe. Having found a single, PDA-culturable microbe per seed or none in an exploratory study with Centaurea stoebe, we completed a more extensive survey of an additional 98 plant species representing 39 families. We again found that individual, surface-sterilized seeds of all species hosted only one PDA-culturable bacterial or fungal endophyte per seed, or none. PDA- unculturables were not determined but we expect them to also be bottlenecked in individual seeds, as they too should be governed by exclusionary interactions. If the bottleneck were confirmed with high-throughput sequencing of individual seeds then it would make sense to further investigate the Primary Symbiont Hypothesis (PSH). This includes the prediction that primary symbionts (i.e., the winners of the exclusionary battles among seed endophytes) have strong effects on seedlings depending on symbiont identity.},
doi = {10.3389/fmicb.2018.01645},
journal = {Frontiers in Microbiology},
number = ,
volume = 9,
place = {Switzerland},
year = {2018},
month = {7}
}
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fmicb.2018.01645
Web of Science
Figures / Tables:

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