| Congresso Brasileiro de Microbiologia 2023 | Resumo: 892-1 | ||||
Resumo:The vegetation found in restinga environment is exposed to various adversities: the soil has low retention of nutrients and water, the environmental temperature is high, and the wind is constant. It is already known that many microorganisms can support plant development through processes such as organic matter decomposition, biological nitrogen fixation, phosphate solubilization, production of phytohormones, among others. In general, the typical vegetation in restingas is found grouped in thickets of one or multiple plant species. Our hypothesis is that the microbial communities present in soils are fundamental for creating an environment conducive to the formation of plant thickets. To test this hypothesis, soils from thickets (IM) and from bare soil between thickets (EM) were collected in triplicate in the Costa do Sol State Park (Massambaba Environmental Protection Area), located in the city of Arraial do Cabo - RJ. In general, the thickets selected for sampling consisted of a complex plant community, with approximately 40 individuals of 8 different species, including Vriesea neoglutinosa, Neoregelia cruenta, and Pilosocereus arrabidae. Physical-chemical analysis showed a higher concentration of organic matter in IM soils, as well as higher concentrations of P, Na, Ca, Mg, K, S, and a higher C:N ratio. On the other hand, EM soils showed higher concentration of available N. qPCR analysis of genes coding for 16S rRNA revealed that IM exhibited a higher abundance of bacteria than EM soils (p < 0.05). Furthermore, genes coding for 16S rRNA were sequenced and analyzed using QIIME 2TM. According to the α-diversity indices (Faith-pd and Shannon), prokaryotic diversity was significantly higher in EM than in IM soils (p < 0.05). Considering the β-diversity indices, the composition and structure of the microbial community significantly differ between IM and EM soils (Weighted UniFrac (p < 0.05)). In general, the phyla Actinobacteriota, Proteobacteria, and Acidobacteriota were the most abundant among EM and IM soils. The genera Acidothermus and an unidentified genus from the family Acetobacteraceae showed higher relative abundance in IM soils, while the relative abundance of genera Conexibacter and Bryobacter were higher in the EM samples. The results and insights obtained from this research contribute to our understanding of the complex relationships between microorganisms and plants in challenging environments like restingas, which are exposed to adverse conditions. By elucidating the mechanisms underlying the formation of plant thickets, our research paves the way for exploring new opportunities to leverage microbial interactions for enhancing the growth and resilience of plant species in nutrient-poor and degraded soils. Ultimately, this knowledge can support the development of biotechnological tools promoting biodiversity preservation and ecosystem restoration in restinga environments and other similar ecosystems worldwide. Palavras-chave: microbial communities, plant thickets, restinga, soil microorganisms Agência de fomento:Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro - FAPERJ | |||||