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Updated: Jul 23, 2025

A Gnotobiotic System for Studying Microbiome Assembly in the Phyllosphere and in Vegetable Fermentation
Published on: June 3, 2020
Urban greenspace types influence the microbial community assembly and antibiotic resistome more in the phyllosphere
Xin-Rong Huang1, Roy Neilson2, Le-Yang Yang3
1Key Laboratory of Urban Environment and Health, Ningbo Observation and Research Station, Institute of Urban Environment, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Xiamen, 361021, China; University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing, 100049, China; Zhejiang Key Laboratory of Urban Environmental Processes and Pollution Control, Chinese Academy of Sciences Haixi Industrial Technology Innovation Centerin, Beilun, Ningbo, 315830, China.
Abstract:
Urban greenspace (UGS) is recognized to confer significant societal benefits, but few studies explored the microbial communities and antibiotic resistance genes (ARGs) from different urban greenspace types. Here, we collected leaf and soil samples from forest, greenbelt, and parkland to analyze microbial community assembly and ARG profile. For phyllosphere fungal community, the α-diversity was higher in forest, compared to those in greenbelt and parkland. Moreover, urban greenspace types altered the community assembly. Stochastic processes had a greater effect on phyllosphere fungal community in greenbelt and parkland, while in forest they were dominated by deterministic processes. In contrast, no significant differences in bacterial community diversity, community assembly were observed between the samples collected from different urban greenspace types. A total of 153 ARGs and mobile genetic elements (MGEs) were detected in phyllosphere and soil with resistance to the majority classes of antibiotics commonly applied to humans and animals. Structural equation model further revealed that a direct association between greenspace type and ARGs in the phyllosphere even after considering the effects of all other factors simultaneously. Our findings provide new insights into the microbial communities and antibiotic resistome of urban greenspaces and the potential risk linked with human health.
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