Baldcypress-associated bacterial raw sequences obtained from rhizosphere soil and root endosphere along salinity gradient in coastal swamps
As climate change alters coastal ecosystems, it is of increasing interest to examine the influence of variables associated with saltwater intrusion on coastal communities. Using 16S Illumina profiling, we characterized the communities of baldcypress tree (Taxodium distichum) root endosphere and rhizosphere soil bacteria. Our study utilized established sites along salinity and flooding gradients in the US states of Georgia, Louisiana, and South Carolina. Our goal is to tease apart the biotic and abiotic factors that shape bacterial communities, namely salinity and water level, as well as geographic distance. Our results suggests that the trees may have stabilized their endosphere communities via recruitment of a more specific suite of taxa from the surrounding soil. Our study is the first to use 16S Illumina sequencing to characterize bacterial communities in baldcypress trees, a key restoration species in coastal swamp ecosystems under threat from climate change.