Soil morphology, depth and grapevine root frequency influence microbial communities in a Pinot noir vineyard

The composition of microbial communities responds to soil resource availability, and has been shown to vary with increasing depth in the soil profile. Soil microorganisms partly rely on root-derived carbon (C) for growth and activity. Roots in woody perennial systems like vineyards have a deeper vertical distribution than grasslands and annual agriculture. Thus, we hypothesized that vineyard soil microbial communities along a vertical soil profile would differ from those observed in grassland and annual agricultural systems. In a Pinot noir vineyard, soil pits were excavated to ca. 1.6–2.5m, and microbial community composition in ‘bulk’ (i.e., no roots) and ‘root’ (i.e., roots present) soil was described by phospholipid ester-linked fatty acids (PLFA). Utilization of soil taxonomy aided in understanding relationships between soil microbial communities, soil resources and other physical and chemical characteristics. Soil microbial communities in the Ap horizon were similar to each other, but greater variation in microbial communities was observed among the lower horizons. Soil resources (i.e., total PLFA, or labile C, soil C and nitrogen, and exchangeable potassium) were enriched in the surface horizons and significantly explained the distribution of soil microbial communities with depth. Soil chemical properties represented the secondary gradient explaining the differentiation between microbial communities in the B-horizons from the C-horizons. Relative abundance of Gram-positive bacteria and actinomycetes did not vary with depth, but were enriched in ‘root’ vs. ‘bulk’ soils. Fungal biomarkers increased with increasing depth in ‘root’ soils, differing from previous studies in grasslands and annual agricultural systems. This was dependent on the deep distribution of roots in the vineyard soil profile, suggesting that the distinct pattern in PLFA biomarkers may have been strongly affected by C derived from the grapevine roots. Gram-negative bacteria did not increase in concert with fungal abundance, suggesting that acidic pHs in lower soil horizons may have discouraged their growth. These results emphasize the importance of considering soil morphology and associated soil characteristics when investigating effects of depth and roots on soil microorganisms, and suggest that vineyard management practices and deep grapevine root distribution combine to cultivate a unique microbial community in these soil profiles

Competitiveness and communication for effective inoculation byRhizobium, Bradyrhizobium and vesicular-arbuscular mycorrhiza fungi

After a short summary on the ecology and rhizosphere biology of symbiotic bacteria and vesicular-arbuscular (VA) mycorrhiza fungi and their application as microbial inocula, results on competitiveness and communication are summarized. Stress factors such as high temperature, low soil pH, aluminium concentrations and phytoalexins produced by the host plants were studied withRhizobium leguminosarum bv.phaseoli andRhizobium tropici onPhaseolus beans. Quantitative data for competitiveness were obtained by usinggus + (glucoronidase) labelled strains, which produce blue-coloured nodules. ForPhaseolus-nodulating rhizobia, a group specific DNA probe was also developed, which did not hybridize with more than 20 other common soil and rhizosphere bacteria. Results from several laboratories contributing to knowledge of signal exchange and communication in theRhizobium/Bradyrhizobium legume system are summarized in a new scheme, including also defense reactions at the early stages of legume nodule initiation. Stimulating effects of flavonoids on germination and growth of VA mycorrhiza fungi were also found. A constitutive antifungal compound in pea roots, -isoxazolinonyl-alanine, was characterized

Comparative genomics of plant-asssociated Pseudomonas spp.: Insights into diversity and inheritance of traits involved in multitrophic interactions

We provide here a comparative genome analysis of ten strains within the Pseudomonas fluorescens group including seven new genomic sequences. These strains exhibit a diverse spectrum of traits involved in biological control and other multitrophic interactions with plants, microbes, and insects. Multilocus sequence analysis placed the strains in three sub-clades, which was reinforced by high levels of synteny, size of core genomes, and relatedness of orthologous genes between strains within a sub-clade. The heterogeneity of the P. fluorescens group was reflected in the large size of its pan-genome, which makes up approximately 54% of the pan-genome of the genus as a whole, and a core genome representing only 45–52% of the genome of any individual strain. We discovered genes for traits that were not known previously in the strains, including genes for the biosynthesis of the siderophores achromobactin and pseudomonine and the antibiotic 2-hexyl-5-propyl-alkylresorcinol; novel bacteriocins; type II, III, and VI secretion systems; and insect toxins. Certain gene clusters, such as those for two type III secretion systems, are present only in specific sub-clades, suggesting vertical inheritance. Almost all of the genes associated with multitrophic interactions map to genomic regions present in only a subset of the strains or unique to a specific strain. To explore the evolutionary origin of these genes, we mapped their distributions relative to the locations of mobile genetic elements and repetitive extragenic palindromic (REP) elements in each genome. The mobile genetic elements and many strain-specific genes fall into regions devoid of REP elements (i.e., REP deserts) and regions displaying atypical tri-nucleotide composition, possibly indicating relatively recent acquisition of these loci. Collectively, the results of this study highlight the enormous heterogeneity of the P. fluorescens group and the importance of the variable genome in tailoring individual strains to their specific lifestyles and functional repertoir

Sequencing Red Fox Y Chromosome Fragments to Develop Phylogenetically Informative SNP Markers and Glimpse Male-Specific Trans-Pacific Phylogeography.

The red fox (Vulpes vulpes) has a wide global distribution with many ecotypes and has been bred in captivity for various traits, making it a useful evolutionary model system. The Y chromosome represents one of the most informative markers of phylogeography, yet it has not been well-studied in the red fox due to a lack of the necessary genomic resources. We used a target capture approach to sequence a portion of the red fox Y chromosome in a geographically diverse red fox sample, along with other canid species, to develop single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers, 13 of which we validated for use in subsequent studies. Phylogenetic analyses of the Y chromosome sequences, including calibration to outgroups, confirmed previous estimates of the timing of two intercontinental exchanges of red foxes, the initial colonization of North America from Eurasia approximately half a million years ago and a subsequent continental exchange before the last Pleistocene glaciation (~100,000 years ago). However, in contrast to mtDNA, which showed unidirectional transfer from Eurasia to North America prior to the last glaciation, the Y chromosome appears to have been transferred from North America to Eurasia during this period. Additional sampling is needed to confirm this pattern and to further clarify red fox Y chromosome phylogeography