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Updated: Jul 25, 2025
07:51
A Gnotobiotic System for Studying Microbiome Assembly in the Phyllosphere and in Vegetable Fermentation
Published on: June 3, 2020
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Metabolic resource overlap impacts competition among phyllosphere bacteria
Rudolf O Schlechter1,2,3,4, Evan J Kear5, Michał Bernach6,5,7,8
1Institute of Microbiology and Dahlem Centre of Plant Sciences, Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany. r.schlechter.jahn@fu-berlin.de.
The ISME Journal
|June 24, 2023
Summary
Bacterial competition in the phyllosphere is influenced by resource overlap and phylogeny. Leaf surface spatial heterogeneity weakens competition, allowing diverse microbial communities to thrive.
Area of Science:
- Microbial Ecology
- Plant-Bacterial Interactions
- Systems Biology
Background:
- The phyllosphere harbors dense microbial communities despite limited resources.
- Resource competition is a key driver of microbial community structure, influencing bacterial exclusion or coexistence.
- Understanding these dynamics is crucial for predicting microbial community assembly on plant surfaces.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of resource competition on the growth of the model epiphyte *Pantoea eucalypti* 299R (Pe299R).
- To determine the roles of resource overlap and phylogenetic relationships in bacterial competition outcomes.
- To assess the influence of the leaf's spatial heterogeneity on competitive interactions.
Main Methods:
- Genome-scale metabolic modeling to predict resource overlap between bacterial strains.
- Pairwise competition experiments conducted both in vitro and in the *Arabidopsis thaliana* phyllosphere.
- Single-cell resolution analysis of growth dynamics and reproductive success.
Main Results:
- Ten key resources were identified as sufficient to explain the fitness of Pe299R.
- Both resource overlap and phylogenetic relationships affected competition outcomes, but competition was weaker in the phyllosphere than in vitro.
- Spatial heterogeneity of the leaf environment mitigated the effects of resource competition on epiphytic bacterial success.
- Competitors influenced Pe299R subpopulations, leading to varied life histories and cell divisions.
Conclusions:
- Bacterial competition in the phyllosphere is less intense than in vitro due to spatial heterogeneity.
- Resource competition and phylogenetic relatedness are weak predictors of epiphytic bacterial reproductive success.
- Factors beyond resource competition significantly shape bacterial community structure in heterogeneous phyllosphere environments.
- This study offers a framework for predicting microbial competition in complex plant-associated ecosystems.
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