Hiura, T. | Search bioRxiv

bioRxiv2025

Common garden experiments suggest terpene-mediated interactions between phyllosphere microbes and Cryptomeria japonica

Plant-microbe interactions in the phyllosphere provide invaluable information on plant ecology, with implications for ecosystem functioning and plant-atmosphere feedbacks. The composition of phyllosphere microbial communities varies significantly depending on host lineages, geographic regions, and climatic conditions. However, the factors driving these variations in interactions with plants remain poorly understood. Biogenic volatile organic compounds (BVOCs) emitted by plants may be important in these interactions. Here, we quantified the composition of phyllosphere microbial communities and terpene emissions from leaves of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica) trees grown in two common gardens from cuttings collected from natural populations across Japan. Amplicon sequencing revealed that bacterial and fungal communities differed significantly between gardens and among host population origins. Analysis of BVOC profiles showed that the camphene emission rate was associated with bacterial community composition, whereas that of {beta}-farnesene was linked to fungal community composition. The relative abundances of certain putative plant pathogens and the emission rates of most monoterpenes were correlated with the climatic conditions at the origin sites of cedar trees. These findings highlight the intricate relationships between phyllosphere microbial communities and terpene emission from host trees and suggest the role of climatic factors in shaping these interactions.

plant biology↗

bioRxiv2020

Emergence of a novel interaction between brown bear and cicada due to anthropogenic habitat modification

Novel species interactions have generally emerged in ecosystems that are highly modified by human activities. Anthropogenic habitat modification, such as afforestation, is one possible driver of novel species interactions; however, empirical evidence remains scarce. In this study, we show that a novel predator-prey interaction between the brown bear (Ursus arctos) and nymphs of a cicada species (Lyristes bihamatus) is generated by anthropogenic habitat modification. We evaluated the frequency of brown bear predation on cicada nymphs and the density of cicada nymphs between natural forests and plantations, which are a typical type of human-modified habitat. We found that brown bear predation on cicada nymphs occurred only in the plantations. The density of cicada nymphs in the plantations was significantly higher than in the natural forest. Our results indicate that the plantation leads to the emergence of the bear-cicada interaction due to increasing the density of cicada nymphs. The study draws attention to the overlooked effects of anthropogenic habitat modification on species interactions.

ecology↗