Abstract Detail

Molecular Ecology

Berlow, Mae [1], Dlugosch, Katrina [2].

Characterization of soil microbiome across ranges of an invasive plant (Centaurea solstitialis).

Soil bacteria can impact the growth of plants, and thus may play a role in the success of some plants as invaders when introduced to non-native ranges. Yellow star-thistle (Centaurea solstitialis) is a highly invasive plant in its non-native ranges of North and South America. To better understand the role soil bacteria play in the invasion dynamics of this plant, we sequenced 16s from soil samples in native ranges and invaded ranges, both from soils that have yellow star-thistle growing in them, and from naïve soils that have not interacted with star-thistle. Our findings show that bacterial communities in the soil across star-thistle ranges are distinct, and that star-thistle may impact the soil bacterial communities where they are growing. This work provides a useful context both for previous studies in this system which found differences in plant-associated bacterial communities, as well as forthcoming experimental work testing the impact of different soil microbial communities on the growth of yellow star-thisle.

1 - University of Arizona, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tucson, AZ, 85719, USA
2 - University Of Arizona, ECOL AND EVOL BIOLOGY, P.O. Box 210088, Tucson, AZ, 85721, United States

Keywords:
invasion
Yellow starthistle
microibiome
Soil
bacteria.

Presentation Type: Oral Paper
Number: ME1005
Abstract ID:938
Candidate for Awards:None