Bacterial Leaf Symbiosis in Angiosperms: Host Specificity without Co-Speciation

Bacterial leaf symbiosis is a unique and intimate interaction between bacteria and flowering plants, in which endosymbionts are organized in specialized leaf structures. Previously, bacterial leaf symbiosis has been described as a cyclic and obligate interaction in which the endosymbionts are vertically transmitted between plant generations and lack autonomous growth. Theoretically this allows for co-speciation between leaf nodulated plants and their endosymbionts. We sequenced the nodulated Burkholderia endosymbionts of 54 plant species from known leaf nodulated angiosperm genera, i.e. Ardisia, Pavetta, Psychotria and Sericanthe. Phylogenetic reconstruction of bacterial leaf symbionts and closely related free-living bacteria indicates the occurrence of multiple horizontal transfers of bacteria from the environment to leaf nodulated plant species. This rejects the hypothesis of a long co-speciation process between the bacterial endosymbionts and their host plants. Our results indicate a recent evolutionary process towards a stable and host specific interaction confirming the proposed maternal transmission mode of the endosymbionts through the seeds. Divergence estimates provide evidence for a relatively recent origin of bacterial leaf symbiosis, dating back to the Miocene (5–23 Mya). This geological epoch was characterized by cool and arid conditions, which may have triggered the origin of bacterial leaf symbiosis

Determination of the Efficiency of Filtration of Cultures from Microalgae and Bacteria using Hollow Fiber Filters

The most important question in sampling is “Is the sample representative of the target population?” This question is necessary to understand how valid the sample taken is to the original population and if generalizations can be made from the sample. Samples taken for water quality measurement range from 1 mL for bacterial contamination to 100 mL or up to 1000 L for protozoan parasites. With larger samples taken, the confidence in detecting rare events increases dramatically. Here we illustrate that hollow fiber filters as routinely used for kidney dialysis can be adapted for environmental use. The filters retain all organisms down to viral particles and organic matter above 70 kDA, the molecular cutoff for urea, one of the waste products removed in kidney dialysis. With these filters, 50 liters of water can be filtered in about 90 minutes. Backflush of the filters recovers viable cells with minimal cell lysis that can be processed downstream for molecular analysis. Recovery rates were as high as 89% and 75% for phytoplankton and bacteria, respectively