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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2020.01.13.904979

Microbiome composition differs in hybrid and inbred maize

Wagner, M. R.·Roberts, J. H.·Balint-Kurti, P. J.·Holland, J. B.
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Abstract

O_LIMacroorganisms genotypes shape their phenotypes, which in turn shape the habitat available to potential microbial symbionts. This influence of host genotype on microbiome composition has been demonstrated in many systems; however, most previous studies have either compared unrelated genotypes or delved into molecular mechanisms. As a result, it is currently unclear whether the heritability of host-associated microbiomes follows similar patterns to the heritability of other complex traits. C_LIO_LIWe take a new approach to this question by comparing the microbiomes of diverse maize inbred lines and their F1 hybrid offspring, which we quantified in both rhizosphere and leaves of field-grown plants using 16S-v4 and ITS1 amplicon sequencing. C_LIO_LIWe show that inbred lines and hybrids differ consistently in composition of bacterial and fungal rhizosphere communities, as well as leaf-associated fungal communities. A wide range of microbiome features display heterosis within individual crosses, consistent with patterns for non-microbial maize phenotypes. For leaf microbiomes, these results were supported by the observation that broad-sense heritability in hybrids was substantially higher than narrow-sense heritability. C_LIO_LIOur results support our hypothesis that at least some heterotic host traits affect microbiome composition in maize. C_LI

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Wagner, M. R., Roberts, J. H., Balint-Kurti, P. J., Holland, J. B.. 2020-01-14. Microbiome composition differs in hybrid and inbred maize. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.01.13.904979

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