Humboldt Journal of Microbiology
Abstract
There has been increased interest in understanding how the microbiomes of vascular plants respond to flooding stress and, many studies have focused on monocotyledonous plants with fibrous root systems. This leaves a gap in knowledge of dicotyledonous plants with taproot systems, as previous studies have been in the context of flooding to cropland affecting major food crops which are often monocotyledonous plants with fibrous root systems. Since the structural and functional differences between these root systems may influence microbial community stability and response to flooding conditions, a study looking at both is long overdue As such, this study aims to investigate whether microbial communities associated with taproot systems found in dicotyledonous plants exhibit distinct responses to flooding stress compared to those of previously documented responses of fibrous root systems. To investigate this we cultivated Lolium multiflorum and Brassica rapa, and submitted them to flooding stress taking samples from the roots and rhizosphere in three instances: before flooding, after one day of flooding, and after 3 days of flooding. The results show a statistically significant difference in the richness and species composition of microorganisms between root types. A greater understanding of how the microbial communities of different root structures respond to flooding is key to understanding the agricultural and ecological effects of flooding.
Recommended Citation
Kozlowski, Natalie S. and Jake, Leighanna
(2025)
"Comparative Analysis of Taproot and Fibrous Root System Microbiomes Under Flooding Stress,"
Humboldt Journal of Microbiology: Vol. 24, Article 2.
Available at:
https://digitalcommons.humboldt.edu/hjm/vol24/iss1/2