Selected rhizosphere bacteria are associated with endangered species - Scutellaria tsinyunensis via comparative microbiome analysis

Abstract Scutellaria tsinyunensis is an endangered plant under extremely critical condition. Soil microbiome is important for plants growth. To better understand the endangered mechanism of S. tsinyunensis from the perspective of rhizosphere bacteria, we examined soil bacteria community in nearly all extant S. tsinyunensis populations at two altitude levels through high-throughput sequencing. Our co-occurrence network analysis manifested six key genera had active interactions with many genera. Moreover, we found that deterministic processes dominate rhizosphere bacterial community assembly. By constructing structural equation model, we found that pH as a key factor shaping the bacterial community, suggesting canopy density – pH – bacterial diversity regulatory model may contribute to the endangerment of S. tsinyunensis. Further, we revealed that Haliangium and Candidatus Koribacter act as essential genera for the protection of S. tsinyunensis through controlling multi combination of covariates. Together, our study revealed a holistic picture of rhizosphere microbiome and environmental factors associated with S. tsinyunensis, and provided direction for future protection of this endangered plant.