Abstract
Rhizosphere microbial communities are important for plant nutrition and plant health. Using the culture-independent method of PCR-DGGE of 16S rDNA for community analyses, we conducted several experiments to investigate the importance of pH, soil type, soil amendment, nutritional status of the plant, plant species and plant age on the structure of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere. At the same time, we assessed the spatial variability of bacterial communities in different root zone locations. Our results showed that the bacterial community structure is influenced by soil pH and type of P fertilization. In a short-term experiment (15–22 days) with cucumber and barley growing in a N deficient or a P deficient soil, the bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere was affected by soil type and fertilization but not by plant species. In a 7.5-week experiment with three plant species (chickpea, canola, Sudan grass) growing in three different soils (a sand, a loam and a clay), the complex interactions between soil and plant effects on the rhizosphere community were apparent. In the sand and the loam, the three plant species had distinct rhizosphere communities while in the clay soil the rhizosphere community structures of canola and Sudan grass were similar and differed from those of chickpea. In all soils, the rhizosphere community structures of the root tip were different from those in the mature root zone. In white lupin, the bacterial community structure of the non-cluster roots differed from those of the cluster roots. As plants matured, different cluster root age classes (young, mature, old) had distinct rhizosphere communities. We conclude that many different factors will contribute to shaping the species composition in the rhizosphere, but that the plant itself exerts a highly selective effect that is at least as great as that of the soil. Root exudate amount and composition are the key drivers for the differences in community structure observed in this study.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bakken L R 1985 Separation and purification of bacteria from soil. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 49, 1482–1487.
Buyer J S, Roberts D P and Russek-Cohen E 1999 Microbial community structure and function in the spermosphere as affected by soil and seed type. Can. J. Microbiol. 45, 138–144.
Carelli M, Gnocchi S, Fancelli S, Mengoni A, Paffetti D, Scotti C and Bazzicalupo M 2000 Genetic diversity and dynamics of Sinorhizobium meliloti populations nodulating different alfalfa cultivars in Italian soils. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66, 4785–4789.
Christensen H and Christensen S 1994 3H-thymidine incorporation of rhizosphere bacteria influenced by plant N status. Plant Soil 162, 113–116.
Dinkelaker B, Hengeler C and Marschner H 1995 Distribution and function of proteoid roots and other root clusters. Bot.Acta 108, 183–200.
fan t w m, lane a n, shenker m, bartley j p, crowley d e and higashi r m 2001 comprehensive chemical profiling of gramineous plant root exudates using high-resolution nmr and ms. phytochem. 57, 209–221
Foster R C 1986 The ultrastructure of the rhizoplane and rhizo-sphere. Ann. Rev. Phytopathol. 24, 211–234.
Gelsomino A, Keijzer-Wolters A C, Cacco G and Van Elsas J D 1999 Assessment of bacterial community structure in soil by polymerase chain reaction and denaturing gradient gel electro-phoresis.J. Microbiol. Meth. 38, 1–15. soil origin, and inoculation with Sinorhizobium meliloti L
Geurts R and Franssen H 1996 Signal transduction in Rhizobiuminduced nodule formation. Plant Physiol. 112, 447–453.
Grayston S J, Wang S, Campbell C D and Edwards A C 1998 Selective influence of plant species on microbial diversity in the rhizosphere. Soil Biol. Biochem. 30, 369–378.
Heuer H, Krsek M, Baker P, Smalla K and Wellington E M H 1997 Analysis of actinomycete communities by specific amplification of genes encoding 16S rRNA and gel-electrophoretic separation in denaturing gradients. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63, 3233–3241.
Hoffland E, Findenegg G R and Nelemans J A 1989 Solubilization of rock phosphate by rape. II. Local root exudation of organic acids as a response to P starvation. Plant Soil 113, 161–165.
Ibekwe A M and Kennedy A C 1998 Fatty acid methyl ester (FAME) profiles as a tool to investigate community structure of two agricultural soils. Plant Soil 206, 151–161.
Latour X, Philippot L, Corberand T and Lemanceau P 1999 The establishment of an introduced community of fluorescent pseudomonads in the soil and the rhizosphere is affected by the soil type. FEMS Microb. Ecol. 30, 163–170.
Liljeroth E, Baath E, Mathiasson I and Lundborg T 1990 Root exudation and rhizoplane bacterial abundance of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) in relation to nitrogen fertilization and root growth. Plant Soil 127, 81–89.
Marilley J and Aragno M 1999 Phylogenetic diversity of bacterial communities differing in degree of proximity of Lolium perenne and Trifolium repens roots. Appl. Soil Ecol. 13, 127–136.
Marschner P and Crowley D E 1998 Phytosiderophore decrease iron stress and pyoverdine production of Pseudomonas fluorescens Pf-5 (pvd-inaZ). Soil Biol. Biochem. 30, 1275–1280.
Marschner P, Crowley D E and Higashi R M 1997 Root exudation and physiological status of a root-colonizing fluorescent pseudomonad in mycorrhizal and non-mycorrhizal pepper (Capsicum annuum L.). Plant Soil 189, 11–20.
Marschner P, Yang C-H, Lieberei R and Crowley D E 2001a Soil and plant specific effects on bacterial community structure in the rhizosphere. Soil Biol. Biochem.33, 1437–1445.
Marschner P, Crowley D E and Lieberei R 2001b Arbuscular mycorrhizal infection changes the bacterial 16S rDNA community composition in the rhizosphere of maize. Mycorrhiza 11, 297–302.
Marschner P, Neumann G, Kania A, Weisskopf L and Lieberei R 2002 Spatial and temporal dynamics of bacterial community composition in the rhizosphere of cluster roots of white lupin (Lupinus albus L.). Plant Soil, in press.
Martin J K 1971 Influence of plant species and plant age on the rhizosphere microflora. Aust. J. Biol. Sci. 24, 1143–1150.
Merbach W, Mirus E, Knof G, Remus R, Ruppel S, Russow R, Gransee A and Schulze J 1999 Release of carbon and nitrogen compounds by plant roots and their possible ecological importance. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 162, 373–383
Miethling R, Wieland G, Backhaus H and Tebbe C C 2000 Variation of microbial rhizosphere communities in response to crop species, soil origin, and inoculation with Sinorhizobium meliloti L 33. Microb. Ecol.40, 43–56.
Neumann G, Massonneau A, Martinoia E and Römheld V 1999 Physiological adaptations to phosphorus deficiency during proteoid root development in white lupin. Planta 208, 373–382.
Neumann G, Massonneau A, Langlade N, Dinkelaker B, Hengeler C, Römheld V and Martinoia E 2000 Physiological aspects of cluster root function and development in phosphorus-deficient white lupin (Lupinus albus L.). Ann. Bot. 85, 909–919.
Ohwaki Y and Hirata H 1992 Differences in carboxylic acid exudation among P-starved leguminous crops in relation to carboxylic acid contents in plant tissues and phospholipid level in roots. Soil Sci. Plant Nutrit. 38, 235–243.
Ovreas L, Forney L, Daae F L and Torsvik V 1997 Distribution of bacterioplankton in meromictic lake Sælenvannet, as determined by denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis of PCR-amplified gene fragments coding for 16S rRNA. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 63, 3367–3373.
Po C and Cumming J R 1997 Mycorrhizal fungi alter the organic acid exudation profile of red clover rhizospheres. In Radical biology: Advances and perspectives of the function of plant roots. Eds. H E Flores, J P Lynch, D Eissenstat. Am. Soc. Plant Physiol., S 517–51
Rengel Z 1997 Root exudation and microflora populations in the rhizosphere of crop genotypes differing in tolerance to micronutrient deficiency. Plant Soil 196, 255–260.
Römheld V 1991 The role of phytosiderophores in acquisition of iron and other micronutrients in graminaceous species: An ecological approach. Plant Soil 130, 127–134.
Rovira A D 1959 Root excretions in relation to the rhizosphere effect. IV. Influence of plant species, age of plant, light, temperature, and calcium nutrition on exudation. Plant Soil 11, 53–64.
Van Veen J A, Liljeroth E and Lekkerkerk L J A 1991 Carbon fluxes in plant-soil systems at elevated atmospheric CO2 levels. Ecol. Applic. 1, 175–181.
Yang C-H and Crowley D E 2000 Rhizosphere microbial community structure in relation to root location and plant iron nutritional status. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 66, 345–351.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Marschner, P., Crowley, D. & Yang, C.H. Development of specific rhizosphere bacterial communities in relation to plant species, nutrition and soil type. Plant and Soil 261, 199–208 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLSO.0000035569.80747.c5
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:PLSO.0000035569.80747.c5