The Temporal Structure and Association Networks of Endophytic Bacteria in Pea Roots and Nodules
Abstract Background and aims Endophytic bacteria from legume roots and nodules play important roles in regulating plant growth and health. However, little is known about how the endophytic bacteria community changes and how it interacts with each other throughout the plant life cycle. Methods We collected twenty pea cultivars to study the composition and structure of endophytic bacterial community during the whole developmental period using Illumina sequencing of 16S rRNA gene. Results Here we show that the development period significantly affected the structure of root endophytic bacterial community and peas recruit different root microbes during different developmental stages. The complexity of microbial community first increased and then decreased with the growth of pea. Rhizobium began to accumulate in pea seedling roots, and the content peaked at flowering stage and remained at high levels during the mature stage. In the flowering and mature stage, the relative abundance of Pseudomonas increased. Conclusions These findings can deepen the overall understanding of the community structure and interaction network of endophytic bacteria from pea root and nodules, and provide a detail for the establishment of root endophytic bacteria throughout the plant life cycle.