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Indirect effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination on microbial communities in legume and grass rhizospheres

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Abstract

Background and aims

Biodegradation of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is accelerated in the presence of plants, due to the stimulation of rhizosphere microbes by plant exudates (nonspecific enhancement). However, plants may also recruit specific microbial groups in response to PAH stress (specific enhancement). In this study, plant effects on the development of rhizosphere microbial communities in heterogeneously contaminated soils were assessed for three grasses (ryegrass, red fescue and Yorkshire fog) and four legumes (white clover, chickpea, subterranean clover and red lentil).

Methods

Plants were cultivated using a split-root model with their roots divided between two independent pots containing either uncontaminated soil or PAH-contaminated soil (pyrene or phenanthrene). Microbial community development in the two halves of the rhizosphere was assessed by T-RFLP (bacterial and fungal community) or DGGE (bacterial community), and by 16S rRNA gene tag-pyrosequencing.

Results

In legume rhizospheres, the microbial community structure in the uncontaminated part of the split-root model was significantly influenced by the presence of PAH-contamination in the other part of the root system (indirect effect), but this effect was not seen for grasses. In the contaminated rhizospheres, Verrucomicrobia and Actinobacteria showed increased populations, and there was a dramatic increase in Denitratisoma numbers, suggesting that this genus may be important in rhizoremediation processes.

Conclusion

Our results show that Trifolium and other legumes respond to PAH-contamination stress in a systemic manner, to influence the microbial diversity in their rhizospheres.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the Heiwa Nakajima Foundation, the University of Manchester, Faculty of Life Sciences, and the University of Sydney, Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources. We thank B. Singh for assistance with soil characterization data.

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  1. Faculty of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia

    Akitomo Kawasaki, Erika R. Watson & Michael A. Kertesz

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  1. Akitomo Kawasaki
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  2. Erika R. Watson
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  3. Michael A. Kertesz
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Correspondence to Michael A. Kertesz.

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Responsible Editor: Bernard Glick.

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Kawasaki, A., Watson, E.R. & Kertesz, M.A. Indirect effects of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon contamination on microbial communities in legume and grass rhizospheres. Plant Soil 358, 169–182 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-011-1089-z

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