Testing the two-step model of plant root microbiome acquisition under multiple plant species and soil sources
The two-step model for plant root microbiomes considers soil as the primary microbial source. Active selection of the plants bacterial inhabitants results in a biodiversity decrease towards roots. We collected in situ ruderal plant roots and their soils and used these soils as the main microbial input for single genotype tomatoes grown in a greenhouse. We massively sequenced the 16S rRNA and shotgun metagenomes of the soils, in situ plants, and tomato roots. Tomato roots did follow the two-step model, while ruderal plants did not. Ruderal plants and their soils are closer than tomato and its soil, based on protein comparisons. We calculated a metagenomic tomato root core of 51 bacterial genera and 2,762 proteins, which could be the basis for microbiome-oriented plant breeding programs. The tomato and ruderal metagenomic differences are probably due to plant domestication trade-offs, impacting plant-microbe interactions.