More than just plants: A study of biotic stress impacts on the root microbiomes of Trifolium repens

New Zealand pasture plants are subject to a multitude of biotic and abiotic stresses. While the pasture plants themselves are well-studied, the microbes associated with the plants are not. In two trials, Trifolium repens (white clover), the key legume component of New Zealand pastoral agriculture, was grown in different soils from around the country exposed to several biotic treatments. We then used next generation sequencing to sequence variable regions of the ITS and 16S ribosomal DNA from the root microbiome of the white clover plants. The microbiome was partitioned in two compartments: the endosphere and rhizosphere. Multivariate analyses such as canonical correlation analysis were then used to compare the ribosomal DNA proportions to the biotic and abiotic factors challenging the plants. Data from the two trials was compared to assess robustness of the methodologies. We will present new insights into the interactions of white clover and its microbiome to biotic factors.