Exploring the Influence of Environmental Factors on Bacterial Communities within the Rhizosphere of the Cu-tolerant plant, Elsholtzia splendens

Abstract

Bacterial communities of rhizospheric soils play an important role in the tolerance and uptake of metal-tolerant/hyperaccumulating plants to metals, e.g. the Cu-tolerant Elsholtzia splendens native to China. In this work, pyrosequencing of the bacterial 16S rRNA gene was firstly applied to investigate the rhizospheric bacterial community of E. splendens grown at Cu contaminated sites. The 47 phyla including 11 dominant phyla (>1%) in E. splendens rhizosphere were presented. The effects of Cu and other environmental factors (total organic carbon, total nitrogen and pH) on the rhizospheric bacterial community were studied comprehensively. The phyla abundances were affected by the environmental factors to different extent, and we found pH, instead of Cu concentration, influenced UniFrac distance significantly and was identified as the most important environmental factor affecting bacterial community. In addition, the influence of environmental factors on gene profiles was explored according to the predicted metagenomes obtained by PICRUSt (phylogenetic investigation of communities by reconstruction of unobserved states). Our study illustrates a view about Cu-tolerant E. splendens rhizospheric bacterial communities (composition, diversity and gene profiles) and their influencing factors, giving a hand for the understanding on bacterial community is formed and affected in rhizosphere.

Response mechanisms of sediment microbial communities in different habitat types in a shallow lake

“…Many other studies (Chodak et al 2013, Jiang et al 2016, Yun et al 2017) have concluded the same, determining pH directly influences bacterial metabolism, growth, and reproduction (Rousk et al 2010, Lachaud 2011; pH also changes the physical and chemical properties of sediment, contributing to further changes in bacterial community structure and diversity. Many other studies (Chodak et al 2013, Jiang et al 2016, Yun et al 2017) have concluded the same, determining pH directly influences bacterial metabolism, growth, and reproduction (Rousk et al 2010, Lachaud 2011; pH also changes the physical and chemical properties of sediment, contributing to further changes in bacterial community structure and diversity.…”

“…Of environmental factors, pH had the most significant effect on bacterial community structure. Many other studies (Chodak et al 2013, Jiang et al 2016, Yun et al 2017) have concluded the same, determining pH directly influences bacterial metabolism, growth, and reproduction (Rousk et al 2010, Lachaud 2011; pH also changes the physical and chemical properties of sediment, contributing to further changes in bacterial community structure and diversity. Conversely, pH had little impact on fungal community structure.…”

Bacterial Community Structure of Pinus Thunbergii Naturally Infected by the Nematode Bursaphelenchus Xylophilus

“…The function prediction analysis of PICRUSt based on high-throughput sequencing has been applied in analyzing the ecological function of different plants [67,68]. We hypothesized that changes in the bacterial community structure would elicit a functional response.…”

Rhizosphere Bacterial Community Structure and Predicted Functional Analysis in the Water-Level Fluctuation Zone of the Danjiangkou Reservoir in China During the Dry Period

“…This method is convenient, fast, and cheap, and its prediction results have high reliability [20][21][22][23]. PICRUSt has been used to study the function of soil bacteria associated with different plants, such as barley, tomato [24], Suaeda salsa [25], Sedum alfredii [26], and Elsholtzia splendens [27], laying the foundation for further investigations of the ecological functions of bacteria in these habitats.…”