Exploration of the microbiome of the evolutionary old liverworts

The aim of this study was to examine the microorganisms colonizing these evolutionary old plants closer providing new insights into their diversity. The bacterial and fungal community structure was assessed in different plant microhabitats (soil and thallus) by sequencing of 16S rRNA gene fragment and ITS1 region of fungal intergenic transcript spacer (ITS) gene amplicons. Targeted bioinformatic analyses were implemented in order to map the overall community. In addition to the qualitative analysis, a quantitative analysis was also carried out in form of a quantitative PCR to confirm the relative enrichment of bacteria, archaea, fungi and methylobacteria in the microbiome of liverwort in comparison to bulk soil. Overall, it was shown that liverworts harbor rich and diverse microbial communities that are clearly distinguishable from the local environment.