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Seasonal Differences in Effects of Microbial Communities on Duckweed Traits
Emma Kinerson1, Alex Trott1, Anna M O'Brien1
1Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Biomedical Sciences University of New Hampshire Durham New Hampshire USA.
Ecology and Evolution
|September 29, 2025
Summary
Seasonal microbial communities significantly impact host plant traits. Summer microbes altered duckweed frond aggregation and color, demonstrating seasonality
Area of Science:
- Microbiology
- Plant Science
- Ecology
Background:
- Host-associated microbiomes influence host traits like longevity and flowering.
- Microbiome composition fluctuates, impacting host phenotypes, often correlating with seasons.
- Disentangling microbial effects from environmental factors and host age is challenging.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the causal impact of seasonal microbial communities on host plant traits.
- To differentiate seasonal microbial effects from abiotic and host-related factors.
Main Methods:
- Utilized microcosm experiments with axenic duckweed.
- Reinoculated duckweed with microbial communities cultured from different seasons.
- Compared duckweed growth and trait expression across seasonal microbial treatments.
Main Results:
- Seasonal microbial communities exhibited distinct effects on duckweed.
- Summer microbial communities increased frond aggregation by 5.7% and greenness by 0.7%.
- Summer microbial inoculations also led to greater total microbial growth in microcosms.
Conclusions:
- Seasonality influences the host-microbiome interaction.
- Microbial communities from different seasons can differentially affect host plant phenotypes.
- Findings have implications for understanding host-microbe dynamics and potential applications in agriculture and medicine.
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