The effects of soil phosphorous content on microbiota are driven by the plant phosphate starvation response

We studied the relationship between the phosphate starvation response (PSR) and the plant microbiome in wild-type plants and two PSR mutants (phf1 and phr1/phl1) grown across soils treated with different phosphate fertilization regimes. Total DNA was extracted from shoots, roots and soil and the 16S (V3-V4) and ITS1 regions were amplified and sequenced to obtain bacterial and fungal community profiles, respectively. Additionally we explored the effect of phosphate over the assembly of the root microbiome and its interaction with Arabidopsis thaliana plants using a microcosm with 185 bacterial isolates.