Root Niches of Blueberry Imprint Increasing Bacterial-Fungal Interkingdom Interactions along the Soil-Rhizosphere-Root Continuum
Jilu Che, Yaqiong Wu, Hao Yang, Shaoyi Wang, Wenlong Wu, Lianfei Lyu, Xiaomin Wang, Weilin Li
Abstract
The blueberry root-associated microbiome plays an essential role in its adaptation to acidic soils and in limiting the uptake of soil nutrients by its poor root system. Studies on the interactions of the root-associated microbiome in the various root niches may deepen our understanding of the beneficial effects in this particular habitat. Our study extended the research on the diversity and composition of microbial communities in different blueberry root compartment niches. Root niches dominated the root-associated microbiome compared to that of the host cultivar, and deterministic processes increased from the bulk soil to the endosphere. In addition, bacterial-fungal interkingdom interactions were significantly higher in the rhizosphere, and those positive interactions progressively dominated the co-occurrence network along the soil-rhizosphere-root continuum. Collectively, root niches dominantly affected the root-associated microbiome and the positive interkingdom interactions increased, potentially providing benefits for the blueberry.