Generalist herbivorous insect modulates similar rhizosphere bacterial
communities across different plant species
Abstract
Plants and insects have developed an evolutionary relationship over
time. It is known that aboveground insect damage influences molecular
modifications in plant defense systems, leading to changes in root
exudation patterns and carbon allocation. Mounting evidence demonstrated
in specific crops shows that plants modulate their rhizosphere microbes
in response to leaf-herbivory attack. However, the influence of a
specific herbivore on rhizosphere microbiomes across different crop
species and its communalities remains unknown. Here, we studied the
relationships between aboveground insect herbivory (Trichoplusia ni)
damage and rhizosphere microbiome effects across five plant species (Zea
mays ‘sh2,’ Phaseolus vulgaris L. ‘Seychelles,’ Solanum lycopersicum
‘Rutgers,’ Beta vulgaris L. ‘Burpee Bred,’ and Arabidopsis thaliana
Ecotype Col-0). We investigated whether insect damage may influence the
recruitment of beneficial microbes across plant species to minimize the
burden associated with the attack. Our results show a significant
increase in the rhizosphere abundance of certain beneficial microbial
taxa including Azospirillum, Burkholderia, and Arthrobacter,
consistently across all plant species tested. Furthermore, a significant
reduction in the biomass was observed among the second generation of
plants grown under the conditioned soil without insect damage.