title: Desert Perennial Shrubs Shape the Microbial-Community Miscellany in Laimosphere and Phyllosphere Space.
abstract: Microbial function, composition, and distribution play a fundamental role in ecosystem ecology. The interaction between desert plants and their associated microbes is expected to greatly affect their response to changes in this harsh environment. Using comparative analyses, we studied the impact of three desert shrubs, Atriplex halimus (A), Artemisia herba-alba (AHA), and Hammada scoparia (HS), on soil- and leaf-associated microbial communities. DNA extracted from the leaf surface and soil samples collected beneath the shrubs were used to study associated microbial diversity using a sequencing survey of variable regions of bacterial 16S rRNA and fungal ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS1). We found that the composition of bacterial and fungal orders is plant-type-specific, indicating that each plant type provides a suitable and unique microenvironment. The different adaptive ecophysiological properties of the three plant species and the differential effect on their associated microbial composition point to the role of adaptation in the shaping of microbial diversity. Overall, our findings suggest a link between plant ecophysiological adaptation as a "temporary host" and the biotic-community parameters in extreme xeric environments.
authors.affiliation: The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel.|Life Sciences International Postgraduate Educational Center, Acharyan 31 Str., Yerevan, 0040, Armenia.
authors.forename: Varsik
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Martirosyan
authors.affiliation: Boreal Ecosystems Research Initiative, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador, A2H 6P9, Canada.
authors.forename: Adrian
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Unc
authors.affiliation: The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel.
authors.forename: Gad
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.affiliation: The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel.
authors.forename: Tirza
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Doniger
authors.affiliation: The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel.
authors.forename: Chaim
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Wachtel
authors.affiliation: The Mina and Everard Goodman Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar-Ilan University, Ramat-Gan, 5290002, Israel. Yosef.Steinberger@biu.ac.il.
authors.forename: Yosef
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Steinberger
mesh_terms: D000220:Adaptation, Biological; D027703:Amaranthaceae / Q000382:microbiology; D019306:Artemisia / Q000382:microbiology; D027466:Atriplex / Q000382:microbiology; D001419:Bacteria / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D001483:Base Sequence; D044822:Biodiversity; D058448:Biota; D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D003889:Desert Climate; D004463:Ecology; D017753:Ecosystem; D005658:Fungi / Q000145:classification / Q000235:genetics / Q000302:isolation & purification; D007557:Israel; D059013:Microbial Consortia; D018515:Plant Leaves / Q000382:microbiology; D018517:Plant Roots / Q000382:microbiology; D010944:Plants / Q000145:classification / Q000382:microbiology*; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S / Q000235:genetics; D012987:Soil / Q000737:chemistry; D012988:Soil Microbiology; D013045:Species Specificity; D013234:Stem Cells
chemical_list: D004269:DNA, Bacterial; D004271:DNA, Fungal; D012336:RNA, Ribosomal, 16S; D012987:Soil
keywords: Desert ecosystem; Microbial diversity; Next-generation sequencing; Phyllosphere; Plant ecophysiological adaptation