Biofilm composition and assembly under varying oxygen conditions during leaf decay

Our study aimed to observe the development of biofilms on leaves decaying in vitro and investigate the effect of oxygen conditions and time on biofilm microbial community structure.Deciduous and evergreen leaves harvested from three terrestrial plant species were immersed in pond water under laboratory conditions to characterise microbial biofilm community composition and assembly during the decay process under aerobic or anaerobic conditions. To identify the leaf biofilm microbiota at specific stages of decay, we examined the temporal dynamics of the microbial community over three weeks. In addition, a search for bacteria and fungi that might be involved in the early mineralisation of the leaf surfaces was carried out.High throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA and ITS genes was used to assess the composition, diversity, and community assembly of bacterial and fungal biofilms on the decaying leaves.