phyllosphere metagenome Targeted loci environmental

In this study, the bacterial community composition of the phyllosphere of 53 London plane trees throughout one city was determined using 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing. The core community of the urban London plane tree (Platanus × acerifolia) phyllosphere was determined. In parallel, the biomagnetic signal of the leaves was monitored as a proxy for local air pollution and deposited particulate matter (PM). Also correlations between taxon abundances and modelled PM, the number of motorized vehicles passing per hour, and the measured wettability of the individual leaves and their chlorophyll content were assessed. Increasing the knowledge of how phyllosphere communities are affected by such factors may allow the future development of new biocontrol and bioremediation applications of bacteria on leaves.