Open AccessUse of 13 C labeling to assess carbon partitioning in transgenic and nontransgenic (parental) rice and their rhizosphere soil microbial communities
Author(s) -
Wu Wei Xiang,
Liu Wei,
Lu Hao Hao,
Chen Ying Xu,
Devare Medha,
Thies Janice
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
fems microbiology ecology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.377
H-Index - 155
eISSN - 1574-6941
pISSN - 0168-6496
DOI - 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2008.00599.x
Subject(s) - rhizosphere , biology , microbial population biology , botany , microorganism , agronomy , seedling , poaceae , genetically modified rice , photosynthesis , bacteria , genetically modified crops , transgene , gene , biochemistry , genetics
Photosynthetic assimilation of CO 2 is a primary source of carbon in soil and root exudates and can influence the community dynamics of rhizosphere organisms. Thus, if carbon partitioning is affected in transgenic crops, rhizosphere microbial communities may also be affected. In this study, the temporal effects of gene transformation on carbon partitioning in rice and rhizosphere microbial communities were investigated under greenhouse conditions using the 13 C pulse‐chase labeling method and phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA) analysis. The 13 C contents in leaves of transgenic (Bt) and nontransgenic (Ck) rice were significantly different at the seedling, booting and heading stages. There were no detectable differences in 13 C distribution in rice roots and rhizosphere microorganisms at any point during rice development. Although a significantly lower amount of Gram‐positive bacterial PLFAs and a higher amount of Gram‐negative bacterial PLFAs were observed in Bt rice rhizosphere as compared with Ck at all plant development stages, there were no significant differences in the amount of individual 13 C‐PLFA between Bt and Ck rhizospheres at any growing stage. These findings indicate that the insertion of cry1Ab and marker genes into rice had no persistent or adverse effect on the photosynthate distribution in rice or the microbial community composition in its rhizosphere.