Work

Native and Invading Yellow Starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis) Microbiomes Differ in Composition and Diversity of Bacteria

Year: 2019

Type: article

Abstract: Previous studies have found that introduced plants commonly experience more favorable microbial interactions in their non-native range, suggesting that changes to the microbiome could be an important contributor to invasion success. Little is known about microbiome variation across native and invading populations, however, and the potential sources of more favorable interactions are undescribed. Here, we report one of the first microbiome comparisons of plants from multiple native and invading populations, in the noxious weed yellow starthistle. We identify clear differences in composition and diversity of microbiome bacteria. Our findings raise new questions about the sources of these differences, and we outline the next generation of research that will be required to connect microbiome variation to its potential role in plant invasions.

Source: mSphere

DOI: 10.1128/msphere.00088-19