Do stomatal traits modulate leaf microbiome assembly?
Busby PE, Apigo A, Sirova D, Pérez-Pazos E, Gervers KA
Plant Microbiome
Invisible microbial communities living on your garden plants and crops directly affect their health, disease resistance, and productivity — and understanding how leaf pores control those communities could lead to better ways to grow stronger, more resilient plants.
Every leaf is home to billions of tiny microbes — bacteria and fungi — that help or harm the plant. Researchers now think the small pores plants use to breathe (stomata) are a key doorway controlling which microbes get in. Plants with more pores, or pores that stay open longer, may let in a wider variety of microbes, for better or worse.
Key Findings
Stomata (leaf pores) are proposed as a primary filter controlling which microbes colonize the inside of leaves, not just disease-causing pathogens.
Three hypotheses are advanced: higher stomatal density increases microbial entry rate; stomatal opening speed and duration regulate microbial access timing; and correlated leaf traits may also independently drive microbiome differences.
Existing published studies on leaf fungi and bacteria provide preliminary support for all three hypotheses, though direct experimental tests remain limited.
chevron_right Technical Summary
Scientists propose that tiny pores on leaves called stomata act as gatekeepers for the microscopic communities of bacteria and fungi living inside and on plant leaves. How many stomata a plant has, and how quickly they open and close, may determine which microbes get inside — shaping the plant's health from the outside in.
Abstract Preview
Elucidating the factors controlling plant microbiome assembly is a major research goal in plant biology given a growing awareness of microbial community contributions to host plant health and fitne...
open_in_new Read full abstractAbstract copyright held by the original publisher.
Was this useful?
Chloroplast Genome Editing Eliminates Gluten Immunogenicity in Triticum aestivum
It could mean that people with celiac disease — roughly 1 in 100 worldwide — may one day safely eat bread made from real wheat, without sacrificing the taste...