title: Bacterial diversity in tree canopies of the Atlantic forest.
abstract: We found an extraordinary level of bacterial biodiversity in the tree leaf canopy of a tropical Atlantic forest by using culture-independent molecular methods. Our survey suggests that each tree species selects for a distinct microbial community. Analysis of the bacterial 16S ribosomal RNA gene sequences revealed that about 97% of the bacteria were unknown species and that the phyllosphere of any one tree species carries at least 95 to 671 bacterial species. The tree canopies of tropical forests likely represent a large reservoir of unexplored microbial diversity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Soils and Soil Science, University of São Paulo, Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil. mlambais@esalq.usp.br
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Lambais
authors.forename: D E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Crowley
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Cury
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Büll
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Rodrigues
mesh_terms: D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification* / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D044822:Biodiversity; D001938:Brazil; D016172:DNA Fingerprinting; D017753:Ecosystem; D020459:Genes, rRNA; D008969:Molecular Sequence Data; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D014197:Trees / Q000382:microbiology*; D014329:Tropical Climate
chemical_list: D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S