Working microbial projects

1. The assembly mechanisms of phyllosphere bacteria over growing season

Understanding the assembly of plant-associated microbial communities during the growing season is a fundamental question in microbial ecology, carrying significant implications for plant microbiome manipulation.

Conceptually, the assembly of leaf-associated bacterial communities initiates with the arrival of the first bacterial colonizer on emerging leaves, influencing subsequent community assembly through a priority effect. The succession of this community is shaped by host plants, influenced by bacterial influx from the metacommunity and the seasonal environmental changes. However, the interactions and relative importance of different mechanisms in shaping the composition and function of leaf bacteria remain unclear.

In the summer of 2022, I conducted an experiment focusing on two plant species and two study sites within a temperate forest. These sites exhibited similar abiotic environmental conditions but varied in terms of neighboring vegetation, thereby offering distinct bacterial pools that could potentially colonize plant leaves. We introduced different strains of leaf bacteria onto newly emerging leaves of the two plant species at each site. We conducted regular monitoring of the leaf bacterial community to test the influence of initial strains, plant species and study sites on the assembly and dynamic of leaf bacteria throught growing season.

2. Genomic basis of host adaption and environmental niche of leaf bacteria

In our study examining the biogeography of leaf bacteria, We found that even phylogenetically closely related bacterial genera exhibit distinct preferences for climate and host species, displaying variations in their distribution across different plant species and climates.

To understand the genomic mechanisms underlying these observed host and environmental niche preferences among closely related bacterial genera, we collected representative genome data for each genus, and conducted a comparative genomic analysis of the collected data.

By employing this approach, we aimed to uncover the genomic features and genetic traits that contribute to the divergent niche preferences exhibited by these closely related bacterial genera in relation to their interactions with hosts and the environment.