Dysbiosis in Maize Leaf Endosphere Microbiome is Associated with Domestication

Summary

This study is the first to document dysbiosis in the leaf endosphere microbiome associated with plant domestication, examining how the transition from wild teosinte through domesticated landraces to elite inbred maize shaped bacterial communities. Teosinte possessed highly regulated, diverse microbial communities with elevated cellulolytic, chitinolytic, and nitrate respiration functions, whereas domesticated maize exhibited reduced diversity and greater community variability consistent with the Anna Karenina principle. These findings suggest that crop breeding and selection may inadvertently compromise plant-microbe interactions that were optimised during wild growth.

UK applicability

The findings may have limited direct applicability to UK maize production, which relies primarily on imported varieties and operates under different agronomic and climatic conditions. However, the mechanisms of microbiome dysbiosis through domestication may inform crop breeding strategies and soil management practices for cereals more broadly, particularly regarding restoration of beneficial microbial functions.

Key measures

16S-V4 amplicon sequencing of leaf endosphere microbiota; bacterial alpha and beta diversity; LEfSe biomarker analysis; co-occurrence network complexity; FAPROTAX functional predictions (cellulolytic, chitinolytic, and nitrate respiration functions)

Outcomes reported

The study characterised leaf endosphere microbial communities across teosinte, landrace maize, and elite inbred maize using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing, identifying changes in bacterial diversity and community structure associated with domestication. Biomarker taxa and functional profiles were inferred through LEfSe analysis, network analysis, and FAPROTAX predictions.

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