Phyllosphere bacterial communities of the epiphytic gymno-sperm Zamia pseudoparasitica

Phyllosphere microbial communities influence the growth and productivity of plant species, particularly in epiphytic plants which are disconnected from nutrients availa-ble in the soil. We characterized the phyllosphere of 30 individuals of the epiphytic cycad, Zamia pseudoparasitica, collected from three locations and during two seasons in the Republic of Panama. We used DNA metabarcoding to describe the total bacteria community with 16S and the diazotrophic community with nifH. Unlike most epiphytic taxa (e.g., orchids, ferns, mosses, etc.), which are typically small, fast-growing, and adapted to high irradiance and limited nutrient and water availability, Z. pseudoparasitica is characterized by large, long-lived leaves and a substantial aerial root system that hosts nitrogen-fixing cyanobacteria. These functional traits, suggest that this species supports a unique structural and physiological environment, providing an ecologically valuable and novel system for investigating the composition and dynamics of phyllosphere microbial communities.