Search bioRxiv⌕ Search
Home/Archive/bioRxiv

bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.05.08.652585

Unearthing the rhizosphere microbiome recruited by ancestral bread wheat landraces

HERNANDEZ SORIANO, M. C.·Warren, F. J.·Hildebrand, F.·Wingen, L. U.·Miller, A. J.·Griffiths, S.
View original source ↗Export metadata ↓

Abstract

Crop root traits that modulate the soil microbiome can turn the tide of reduced fertility in intensively farmed land by optimising nutrient availability and resilience to environmental stresses. Advantageous genetic diversity that allows adaptation to nutrient availability is present in historic crop genotypes. The Watkins collection of bread wheat landraces is an unexploited resource, carrying untapped phenotypic traits. Here, we show that the rhizosphere microbiome assembly of these landraces is distinct compared to elite varieties, specifically those that come from ancestral groups (AGs) not used in modern breeding. We used 16S rRNA sequencing to identify changes in microbial communities of rhizosphere soil collected from 81 landraces and two elite varieties. We found high similarity in microbiome recruitment between the elite cultivars and the two AGs genetically closest to the elite. The rhizosphere microbiome of five AGs genetically distant from the elite cultivars showed significant differences in the abundance of taxa involved in nitrogen and carbon turnover, keystone taxa and associations within the microbial network. Our findings suggest that genes to recruit or suppress microbial taxa in the rhizosphere are shared by landraces from these AGs. Selective breeding for traits to control microbial functions can enhance soil productivity and crop performance.

Explore related subjects

ecologyPreprint

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

HERNANDEZ SORIANO, M. C., Warren, F. J., Hildebrand, F., Wingen, L. U., Miller, A. J., Griffiths, S.. 2025-05-12. Unearthing the rhizosphere microbiome recruited by ancestral bread wheat landraces. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.05.08.652585

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related preprints

bioRxiv2026

Floristic composition, phenology, and conservation value of four peat bogs in Bucovina, with the presence of Betula nana

This paper presents a comparative analysis of the floristic composition and site characteristics of four peat bogs in Bucovina, Romania: Poiana Stampei, Romanesti, Saru Dornei, and Gaina-Lucina. The research was based on phytosociological releves on 25 msq plots and direct field phenological observations, on six field visits from May to August 2026. Vegetation was characterised using the Braun Blanquet method, and floristic similarity between sites was assessed with the Sorensen and Bray Curtis indices. All four plots shared a common core of taxa characteristic of peatland vegetation: Sphagnum spp., Carex rostrata, Drosera rotundifolia, Eriophorum vaginatum, and Vaccinium species. Species richness was 13 taxa at Poiana Stampei, Romanesti, and Saru Dornei, and 12 at Gaina-Lucina. Romanesti and Saru Dornei showed the highest floristic similarity (descriptive values, not statistically tested, given a single releve per site), while Gaina-Lucina differed most markedly, not through species richness, which was similar across sites, but through species identity and through the presence of Betula nana, a glacial relict absent from the other sites. The results provide a descriptive basis for future research on the floristic composition and conservation of these habitats.

ecology↗
bioRxiv2026

Long-Term Surveillance Reveals Establishment of Aedes albopictus in Eastern Nebraska, USA

Aedes albopictus (Skuse), the Asian tiger mosquito, is a highly competent arboviral vector whose range has expanded substantially across the United States over the past four decades. Despite predictive models placing Nebraska within the species' climatically suitable range, its establishment status in the state has remained poorly characterized. Here, we report results from a nine-year mosquito surveillance program (2017-2025) conducted across 44 Nebraska counties in collaboration with the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services. Ae. albopictus was detected in five counties, with sustained, annually increasing populations documented in Richardson, Douglas, and Lancaster counties. Richardson County recorded continuous detections during 2017-2025, with proportional representation rising to 60.50% of collected mosquitoes by 2025. In Douglas and Lancaster counties, temporal advancement of first seasonal detection in 2024 and 2025 provide evidence consistent with successful overwintering rather than annual reintroduction. A cumulative degree-day model predicted adult emergence in mid-May across all county-year combinations, consistently preceding trap deployment by two to seven weeks and revealing a systematic early-season surveillance gap. Generalized linear mixed-effects models indicated that trap-level detection persistence, rather than urban location, was the primary predictor of yearly Ae. albopictus positivity, suggesting that current invasion dynamics are driven by focal source populations. These findings provide strong evidence for the establishment of Ae. albopictus in eastern Nebraska and highlight the need for earlier seasonal surveillance and standardized criteria to define establishment in northward-expanding vector populations.

ecology↗
bioRxiv2026

PlanktonLake-CEREEP- A Freshwater Plankton Image Dataset with Semi-Automated Label Cleaning

Plankton plays a fundamental role in aquatic ecosystems, influencing biogeochemical cycles and serving as a key food source for many organisms. Recent high-throughput imaging technologies enable the rapid acquisition of large volumes of microscopic images, creating new opportunities for monitoring planktonic ecosystems. However, the manual processing and annotation of the vast amounts of data generated by these devices remain time-consuming tasks. In this context, machine learning-based classification models offer a promising solution. In this data paper, we introduce a new labeled freshwater plankton dataset comprising approximately 88,000 images distributed across 43 taxa. We also present the labeling assistance method we used to facilitate dataset annotation. Finally, we present a baseline based on a convolutional neural network (CNN), which achieves a classification accuracy of 93% on our dataset.

ecology↗