Abstract Detail

Symbioses: Plant, Animal, and Microbe Interactions

Gilbert, Kadeem [1], Renner, Tanya [2].

The physiology of phylloplane pH regulation and its consequences on the microbiome.

Plants interface with and modify external environments across their surfaces, which can significantly impact interactions with microorganisms. This is well characterized in root systems, which modify rhizosphere soil pH and the microbiota therein. Previous studies have also shown that plants can modify the pH of their leaf surfaces (phylloplane), for example, by neutralizing acid rain inputs (thus consequently reducing tissue damage). Phylloplane pH regulation by plants varies by species, for example the exceptionally alkaline pH levels exhibited by cotton (Gossypium hirsutum). However, neither the molecular underpinnings of these physiological differences in phylloplane pH regulation, nor their effects on the microbiome, have been well-documented. The goal of the current study is to correct this information gap through a combination of controlled greenhouse experiments and next-generation sequencing. I examined phylloplane pH regulatory pH ability in Gossypium hirsutum, G. arboreum, Beta vulgaris, Nepenthes bicalcarata, and N. rafflesiana in response to pH treatments ranging from 6.5 down to 2. Using a transcriptomic approach, I am examining differential gene expression in order to understand molecular mechanisms underpinning the observed differences in pH regulation ability, including extreme alkalinization (Gossypium) and acidification (Nepenthes). I am also using a metatranscriptomic approach to understand how microbial communities respond to these species' abilitiy or inability to buffer the leaf surfaces from external pH changes in short time scales. In this talk, I will focus primarily on preliminary insights into differentially expressed genes of interest that may shape phylloplane pH regulation in these plants.

1 - Michigan State University, Plant Biology, W.K. Kellogg Biological Station, 3700 East Gull Lake Drive, Hickory Corners, Michigan, 49060, United States
2 - The Pennsylvania State University, Department of Entomology, 512 ASI Building, University Park, PA, 16802, USA

Keywords:
phylloplane pH
Gossypium
Nepenthes
Beta vulgaris
Transcriptomics
metatranscriptomics.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: SYM1001
Abstract ID:675
Candidate for Awards:None