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Changes in the population of seed bacteria of transgenerationally Cd ‐exposed A rabidopsis thaliana
Author(s) -
Truyens S.,
Weyens N.,
Cuypers A.,
Vangronsveld J.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plant biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.871
H-Index - 87
eISSN - 1438-8677
pISSN - 1435-8603
DOI - 10.1111/j.1438-8677.2012.00711.x
Subject(s) - biology , population , germination , bacteria , seedling , endophyte , botany , microbiology and biotechnology , genetics , demography , sociology
Plant‐associated bacteria can have beneficial effects on the growth and health of their host. Nevertheless, the role of endophytic bacteria present in seeds has not been investigated in depth. In this study, the cultivable endophytic population of seeds from A rabidopsis thaliana exposed to 2 μ m cadmium for several generations ( Cd seeds) was compared with a population isolated from seeds of plants that were never exposed to Cd (control seeds). We observed obvious differences between the two types of seed concerning genera present and phenotypic characteristics of the different isolates. S inorhizobium sp. and M icrococcus sp. were only found in control seeds, while P seudomonas sp., B osea sp. and P aenibacillus sp. were only found in Cd seeds. S phingomonas sp., R hizobium sp., A cidovorax sp., V ariovorax sp., M ethylobacterium sp., B acillus sp. and S taphylococcus sp. occurred in varying numbers in both types of seed. Metal tolerance and 1‐aminocyclopropane‐1‐carboxylate deaminase activity were predominantly found in strains isolated from Cd seeds, while the production of siderophores, indole‐3‐acetic acid and organic acids was more prevalent in endophytes isolated from control seeds. These data support the hypothesis that certain endophytes are selected for transfer to the next generation and that their presence might be important for subsequent germination and early seedling development.