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Microbiome interplay: plants alter microbial abundance and diversity within the built environment
Alexander Mahnert1, Christine Moissl-Eichinger2, Gabriele Berg1
1Institute of Environmental Biotechnology, Graz University of Technology Graz, Austria.
Frontiers in Microbiology
|September 18, 2015
Summary
Indoor plants significantly impact the built environment microbiome. Plants release microbes, increasing bacterial diversity on surfaces while decreasing fungal diversity, affecting human health.
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Environmental Science
- Human Health
Background:
- The indoor microbiome is crucial for human health.
- Microbial contributions from indoor plants remain largely unknown.
- Understanding plant-microbe interactions in built environments is essential.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the hypothesis that indoor plants substantially contribute to the built environment's microbial abundance and diversity.
- To analyze the microbial transfer from spider plants (Chlorophytum comosum) to their surroundings.
Main Methods:
- Experimental analysis of the spider plant microbiome and surrounding surfaces.
- Microbial sampling of plant leaves, indoor air, floor, and wall surfaces over six months.
- Analysis of microbial abundance, diversity (Archaea, Bacteria, Eukaryota/fungi), cell viability, and microbial dispersal using LEfSe and network analysis.
Main Results:
- Microbial abundance increased on surrounding surfaces, while remaining stable on plant leaves and air.
- Bacterial diversity on surfaces significantly increased; fungal diversity decreased.
- Microbes dispersed from plant leaves to surfaces, including potentially allergenic fungi and beneficial bacteria like Paenibacillus.
Conclusions:
- Indoor plants demonstrably alter the microbiome of built environments.
- Plants contribute significantly to microbial abundance and diversity in indoor spaces.
- This highlights the complex interplay between plants, microbiomes, and human health.
Keywords:
16S gene and ITS region ampliconsChlorophytum comosumLEfSe analysisbuilt environmentindoor plantsinterplay of microbiomesnetwork analysisqPCRMore Related Videos
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