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Updated: Oct 2, 2025
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Isolation and Analysis of Microbial Communities in Soil, Rhizosphere, and Roots in Perennial Grass Experiments
Published on: July 24, 2018
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Changes in root microbiome during wheat evolution.
Somayeh Gholizadeh1, Seyed Abolghasem Mohammadi2,3, Ghasem Hosseini Salekdeh4,5
1Department of Plant Breeding and Biotechnology, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Tabriz, Tabriz, Iran.
BMC Microbiology
|February 27, 2022
Summary
Plant genome content significantly shapes root microbiome composition. Domestication impacts these interactions, but wheat genotypes maintain selective control, offering breeding targets for healthier plant microbiomes.
Area of Science:
- Microbiome research
- Plant evolutionary biology
- Genomics
Background:
- Host-microbe coevolution is key to human microbiome health.
- Plant root-microbiome evolution remains poorly understood.
- Investigating wheat and its ancestors' microbiome changes over evolutionary time.
Purpose of the Study:
- To analyze how wheat and its ancestral species' root microbiomes evolved.
- To identify factors influencing root-associated bacterial communities in wheat.
- To explore the impact of domestication on plant-microbiome interactions.
Main Methods:
- 16S rRNA metagenomic analysis of rhizobacterial communities.
- Phylogenetic framework including four Triticum species (T. urartu, T. turgidum, T. durum, T. aestivum).
- Inclusion of ancestral species (Aegilops speltoides, Ae. tauschii) during vegetative and reproductive stages.
Main Results:
- Genome content of Aegilops speltoides and Ae. tauschii significantly influences wheat's root microbiome.
- Domestication and breeding impact microbiome interactions, especially during reproduction.
- Wheat genotypes exert extensive, selective control over associated rhizobacteria, showing genotypic variation.
Conclusions:
- Wheat's root microbiome composition is determined by ancestral genomes (Ae. speltoides, Ae. tauschii) and domestication.
- Extensive host traits and genes likely mediate plant-microbe interactions.
- Understanding the wheat microbiome requires considering its polygenetic, mosaic nature.
