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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jul 29, 2025

A Workflow for the Quantitative Assessment of the Endophytic and Epiphytic Bacterial Microbiomes of the Bark of Populus trichocarpa

A Workflow for the Quantitative Assessment of the Endophytic and Epiphytic Bacterial Microbiomes of the Bark of Populus trichocarpa

Published on: June 27, 2025

Shifting microbial communities can enhance tree tolerance to changing climates.

Cassandra M Allsup¹, Isabelle George¹, Richard A Lankau¹

¹Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA.

Science (New York, N.Y.)

|May 25, 2023

Summary

Plant microbes can help trees survive climate change. Inoculating seedlings with microbes from different climates improved their survival rates during drought, heat, and cold stress, offering a new strategy for forest management.

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Last Updated: Jul 29, 2025

A Workflow for the Quantitative Assessment of the Endophytic and Epiphytic Bacterial Microbiomes of the Bark of Populus trichocarpa

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Published on: June 27, 2025

Simulating Temperature in a Soil Incubation Experiment

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Published on: October 28, 2022

Technique for Studying Arthropod and Microbial Communities within Tree Tissues

Technique for Studying Arthropod and Microbial Communities within Tree Tissues

Published on: November 16, 2014

Area of Science:

Ecology
Environmental Science
Microbiology

Background:

Climate change poses extinction risks to plant species by exceeding their evolved environmental tolerances.
Plants rely on symbiotic microbial communities to influence their traits and adaptability.
Microbial associations may offer a novel pathway for plants to gain climate resilience.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate if microbial communities can confer climate tolerance to tree seedlings.
To determine the effects of microbial inoculation from different climate-sourced communities on seedling survival under stress.

Main Methods:

Tree seedlings were inoculated with microbial communities from diverse climatic origins.
Seedling survival rates were assessed under simulated drought, heat, and cold stress conditions.
Microbial community composition, particularly arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, was analyzed in relation to stress tolerance.

Main Results:

Seedlings inoculated with microbes from drier, warmer, or colder sites showed enhanced survival under respective drought, heat, or cold stress.
Drought tolerance was linked to increased arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi diversity.
Cold tolerance correlated with reduced fungal richness, suggesting a benefit from excluding non-adapted microbes.

Conclusions:

Microbial communities play a crucial role in mediating plant tolerance to climate change.
Harnessing climate-sourced microbial inoculants can enhance forest ecosystem adaptability.
Understanding these microbially-mediated effects is vital for predicting and managing forests under climate change.