Colonization of vineyards by non-Saccharomyces yeast species without evolution of copper and sulfite resistance
Humans have generated ecological and environmental disturbances, such as vineyards, across the globe. Disturbed environments create widespread and repeated selective pressures that can drive colonization and local adaptation in microbial species. We investigated the distribution of fermentative yeast species in vineyards compared to nearby arboreal habitats and measured their resistance to two commonly used vineyard antimicrobials, copper and sulfite. We analyzed 4,101 strains, representing 70 species, collected from grapevine- and oak-associated substrates at 17 vineyard and 20 non-vineyard sites in the USA and Slovenia. Species frequency varied with geography and substrate, but the majority of species commonly present in vineyards were also found in non-vineyard arboreal environments, representing a potential source for vineyard colonization and exploitation of sugar from grapes. Species varied in both copper and sulfite resistance, but only Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed elevated resistance in vineyard compared to non-vineyard samples. Our results indicate that S. cerevisiae has uniquely taken advantage of vineyard environments through adaptations that appear either unnecessary or inaccessible to other yeast species present in vineyards.