Role of pollinators in microbiome development on apple flowers

The flower microbiome is relatively less studied as compared to root- or leaf-associated microbiomes yet it plays important roles in pollinator interactions and resistance to plant diseases. During petal open, the nutrient rich, internal flower parts are exposed to the environment thus providing a good model to study microbiome assembly and succession. Here, we compared the microbiome assembly on apple flowers in the presence and absence of the pollinators using insect exclusion netting. We observed that netting had a minor impact on microbiota alpha- and beta-diversity but flower developmental stage was strong modulator of the microbiome structure.

相较于与根系或叶片相关的微生物组（root- or leaf-associated microbiomes），花微生物组（flower microbiome）的相关研究相对匮乏，但其在授粉媒介互作与植物病害抗性方面发挥着重要作用。当花瓣展开时，营养丰富的花内组织暴露于环境之中，为研究微生物组组装与演替提供了理想模型。本研究采用防虫网（insect exclusion netting）设置了有无授粉媒介的对照组别，对比分析了苹果花上的微生物组组装情况。研究结果显示，防虫网对微生物群落的α多样性与β多样性仅存在微弱影响，而花发育阶段则是调控微生物组结构的核心因素。