Functional gene categories differentiate maize leaf drought-related microbial epiphytic communities

The phyllosphere epiphytic microbiome is composed of microorganisms that
colonize the external aerial portions of plants. Relationships of plant
responses to specific microorganisms–both pathogenic and beneficial–have
been examined, but the phyllosphere microbiome functional and metabolic
profile responses are not well described. Changing crop growth conditions,
such as increased drought, can have profound impacts on crop productivity.
Also, epiphytic microbial communities provide a new target for crop yield
optimization. We compared Zea mays leaf microbiomes collected under
drought and well-watered conditions by examining functional gene
annotation patterns across three physically disparate locations each with
and without drought treatment, through the application of short read
metagenomic sequencing. Drought samples exhibited different functional
sequence compositions at each of the three field sites. Maize phyllosphere
functional profiles revealed a wide variety of metabolic and regulatory
processes that differed in drought and normal water conditions and provide
key baseline information for future selective breeding.