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POSTERS: Plant Stress and Abiotic Disorders II

P-528 - Populus trichocarpa associated microbiomes vary across a natural abiotic stress gradient

Tuesday, August 5, 2025
10:15 AM - 11:00 AM HST
Location: Exhibit Hall 3
Abstract Text: Abiotic stresses pose major threats to natural and managed forests and are anticipated to worsen with climate change. One mechanism by which plants cope is by tailoring their microbiome communities to better withstand stress. Naturally occurring abiotic stress gradients provide an opportunity to observe the long-term effects of abiotic stress on plant-associated microbiomes while informing projections on how these relationships will evolve. Populus trichocarpa is an ecologically and economically important tree species, and a model species with extensive genomic resources. We collected bulk soil, rhizosphere soil, and root samples from P. trichocarpa trees from field sites over the Cascade Mountains along the Cowlitz River on the wetter, western side and along the Tieton River on the drier, eastern side. We examined the bacterial and fungal communities with amplicon sequencing, soil chemistry, stand characteristics, and host physiology. Bacterial and fungal communities clustered into three distinct micro-climate groups, a wet community common across the Cowlitz River sites, a dry community of the lower altitude Tieton River sites, and a high elevation community at the crest of the pass and along the upper Tieton River. These communities were most distinct in the soil. The community differences between these micro-climate groups were diminished within the root endosphere, though still evident, indicating that while P. trichocarpa may have a homogenizing effect, abiotic factors play the major role in shaping these microbial communities.