Biogeographische, genetische und funktionelle Diversität von pflanzenwachstumsfördernden, oberirdisch auf Pflanzen vorkommenden Methylotrophen

• Applicant: Professor Dr.-Ing. Peter Kämpfer
• Subject Area: Ecology and Biodiversity of Plants and Ecosystems
• Term: from 2008 to 2011
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 60761548

Bacteria are by far the most dominant group on plants, and a high diversity of genera and species can be detected even on single plants. Only few studies have dealt with microbial succession patterns so far. Especially colonization patterns at the beginning of a growing season are still not very well known, as well as the spatial pattern of colonization, although it is known that bacteria can colonize leaves by air, soil, seeds or debris from previous crops. The objective of this project is to analyse the colonization pattern of plants by bacteria in dependence of plant species, land use intensity and geographic location. The succession of bacterial genera and species on plants will be studied as well as the spatial pattern of colonization, divided in upper, middle and lower plant leaf area. A combined cultivation dependent and –independent approach will be used to determine the bacterial species present on the leaves at different points in time at the beginning of the colonization process. Plants will be grown sterile and will be released into the field before sampling. All in all, about 450 plant leaves will be sampled from two plant species on areas with different land use intensity in all three exploratories. Samples will be analysed by total cell count, live/dead count, isolation, cloning and sequence analysis of 16S rRNA genes. Auxin will be measured for isolates. Additionally, the spatial patterns of bacterial communities on single leaves will be studied with fluorescent in situ hybridization.

• DFG Programme: Infrastructure Priority Programmes
• Subproject of: SPP 1374: Biodiversity Exploratories
• Participating Person: Dr. Nicole Lodders