Evaluating the legacy of drought exposure on root and rhizosphere bacterial microbiomes over two plant generations

Abstract

Drought is a critical risk in developing countries for staple crops like common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.). We conducted an experiment to understand the legacy effects of repeated drought exposure across plant generations on the root and rhizosphere microbiome of the common bean, hypothesizing that a legacy of exposure improves overall plant microbiome resilience. We profiled the bacterial microbiome using marker gene amplicon sequencing over two plant generations in a complete factorial design for two common bean genotypes, Red Hawk and Flavert. We performed parallel experiments for Red Hawk in two different countries using soils of Pays de la Loire, France, and Michigan, USA. Despite the clear and relatively consistent drought effects on the plant phenotypes, there was neither response of the Red Hawk microbiomes to drought, nor a notable legacy of drought exposure. For Flavert, there was a minor legacy drought effect for the second generation in the rhizosphere microbiome beta diversity. This study demonstrates that rhizosphere microbiomes can be resistant to drought stress and that cross-generational legacy depends on soil origin and host genotype. Such parallel experiments across countries, while difficult to implement, are useful to inform generalities and build theory towards prediction on microbiome responses to global change.