Investigation of Miscanthus associated microbiome: effects of biotic and abiotic factors
type: CreativeWork
description: Long-term sustainable production of biofuel feedstock crops like Miscanthus species requires minimum anthropogenic energy inputs as well as the maintenance of soil fertility. Beneficial microbes, such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria, contribute to plant yield and fitness, representing under-explored plant nutrient sources. Optimizing the positive interactions between Miscanthus species and associated bacteria has high potential to support sustainable crop production. Bacterial community functions are directly related to community structures, which rely on surrounding biotic and abiotic factors. Therefore, before Miscanthus-bacteria interactions can be optimized for better plant productivity, it is necessary to investigate the factors that regulate community assemblage of these microbes. The goal of this dissertation is to identify factors that significantly explain the Miscanthus-associated bacterial community variation. To achieve this goal, a combination of observational and experimental approaches was used. Miscanthus plants were collected from native, naturalized and cultivated habitats. These habitats represent a broad range of biotic and abiotic factors. Both Miscanthus endophytic compartment (rhizomes) and their surrounding rhizosphere soil were collected from each plant because both endophytes and rhizosphere bacteria are known to contribute to mutualistic plant-microbe interactions. Here, I accessed and compared both endophytic and rhizosphere bacterial communities, and evaluated whether plant genotypes and soil edaphic factors may influence them differently. As one of the most important beneficial bacteria groups, Miscanthus-associated diazotrophs assemblages were also examined in this work. I found endophytic and rhizosphere communities correlated differently with their surrounding environment. Overall, I found that endophytic communities were more likely to be genotype-specific than the rhizosphere bacteria while the rhizosphere communities tended to change …
abstract: Long-term sustainable production of biofuel feedstock crops like Miscanthus species requires minimum anthropogenic energy inputs as well as the maintenance of soil fertility. Beneficial microbes, such as nitrogen-fixing bacteria, contribute to plant yield and fitness, representing under-explored plant nutrient sources. Optimizing the positive interactions between Miscanthus species and associated bacteria has high potential to support sustainable crop production. Bacterial community functions are directly related to community structures, which rely on surrounding biotic and abiotic factors. Therefore, before Miscanthus-bacteria interactions can be optimized for better plant productivity, it is necessary to investigate the factors that regulate community assemblage of these microbes. The goal of this dissertation is to identify factors that significantly explain the Miscanthus-associated bacterial community variation. To achieve this goal, a combination of observational and experimental approaches was used. Miscanthus plants were collected from native, naturalized and cultivated habitats. These habitats represent a broad range of biotic and abiotic factors. Both Miscanthus endophytic compartment (rhizomes) and their surrounding rhizosphere soil were collected from each plant because both endophytes and rhizosphere bacteria are known to contribute to mutualistic plant-microbe interactions. Here, I accessed and compared both endophytic and rhizosphere bacterial communities, and evaluated whether plant genotypes and soil edaphic factors may influence them differently. As one of the most important beneficial bacteria groups, Miscanthus-associated diazotrophs assemblages were also examined in this work. I found endophytic and rhizosphere communities correlated differently with their surrounding environment. Overall, I found that endophytic communities were more likely to be genotype-specific than the rhizosphere bacteria while the rhizosphere communities tended to change …
author: Li, Dongfang
language: en
keywords: Microbial ecology, Miscanthus
date published: 2015-09-29T21:03:01Z
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:26:31Z
provider: University of Illinois - Urbana-Champaign
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/2142/88261