The changing influence of host genetics on the leaf fungal microbiome throughout plant development
Year: 2022
Type: article
Abstract: Host genetics and the environment influence which fungal microbes colonize a plant.A new study in PLOS Biology finds that the relative influence of these factors changes throughout the development of the biofuel crop switchgrass growing in field settings.The microbes that colonize plants impact plant health, influencing a range of traits including seed production, flowering time, disease susceptibility, and the ability to attract pollinators.Of course, some also cause disease.Together, these microbes comprise the plant's microbiome.Given the importance of microbes for plant productivity, a central focus in plant biology has become determining and then harnessing factors that control the membership and activity of the plant microbiome.An ultimate goal of this research is to improve agricultural output and sustainability.Crucial to achieving this goal is an understanding of what distinguishes a productive plant microbiome from a diseased microbiome as well as determining which variables influence microbial composition.Several factors are associated with plant microbiome compositional differences, including host genetics, the environment, and interspecies interactions.Environmental differences clearly play a role [1] as do interspecies interactions [2].Work over the past 2 decades probed the role of host genetics in microbiome composition, revealing moderate heritability and many loci of small effect that influence composition [3,4].Time-course experiments also suggested that the leaf microbiome is dynamic, changing throughout the seasons [5,6].Despite these important findings, we currently lack a predictive understanding of microbiome composition.Both genotype and environment have an influence, but do their relative contributions change during plant development?Are patterns of microbial succession predictable across environments?Furthermore, with rare exceptions, the genetic changes underlying heritable differences in microbiome composition remain unknown.Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) is a genetically diverse perennial grass native to and distributed throughout North America that is planted in agriculture for feedstock and biomass energy production.A new study published in PLOS Biology by Van Wallendael and colleagues investigates factors influencing the fungal leaf microbiome of switchgrass [7] (Fig 1).This research was an impressive logistical feat involving repeated longitudinal measurements of hundreds of plants, including at field sites at different latitudes in the United States of America.
Source: PLoS Biology
Authors: Talia L. Karasov, Derek S. Lundberg
Language: English
Subfield: Plant Science
Domain: Life Sciences
SDG: Zero hunger
Open Access status: gold
Estimated APC paid: $5,300
OpenAlex ID: W4290851753