Community assembly and potential function analysis of the endophyte in Eucommia ulmoides

Area of Science:

• Plant-microbe interactions
• Microbial ecology
• Molecular biology

Background:

• Endophytes enhance plant resilience to stress and promote growth.
• The community dynamics and functions of Eucommia ulmoides endophytes remain understudied.
• Understanding endophyte succession is vital for optimizing plant-derived active components.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate endophyte community diversity, assembly, and functional roles in Eucommia ulmoides.
• To correlate endophyte communities with plant active component production.
• To elucidate symbiotic relationships between endophytes and host plants.

Main Methods:

• High-throughput sequencing for endophyte diversity analysis.
• Bioinformatics tools for community assembly and functional prediction (PICRUSt2).
• Correlation analysis between endophyte abundance and active components.

Main Results:

• Endophytic fungal functions are primarily linked to biosynthesis, varying by plant part and period.
• Endophytic bacterial metabolic activity is stable across different conditions.
• Ascomycota and Basidiomycota fungi are key in chlorogenic acid metabolism; bacteria correlate with Aucubin.

Conclusions:

• Endophyte communities in E. ulmoides exhibit complex assembly and functional roles.
• Specific fungal and bacterial endophytes are associated with the production of key active components.
• Findings offer insights into endophyte-plant symbiosis and functional mechanisms.