CHARACTERIZING THE SOIL PROPERTIES AND MICROBIAL DIVERSITY ASSOCIATED TO THE ENDANGERED BUDDLEJA SESSILIFOLIA

Buddleja sessilifolia is a plant species with extremely small populations (PSESP) in southwest China. The trial of transplantation failed in our Buddleja outdoor garden, and only succeeded in the flowerpots of greenhouse. In this study, we conducted metagenomic analyses on microbial diversity in bulk soil from wild habitat of B. sessilifolia, the Buddleja garden and the B. sessilifolia pots of greenhouse, and meanwhile analyzed soil physicochemical properties. We aimed to uncover the related soil factors which may influence the transplantation of B. sessilifolia. Our results showed the bulk soil from the wild habitat of B. sessilifolia and the B. sessilifolia pots had significantly richer total potassium content than that from the Buddleja garden. Bacterial order Rhizobiales and archaeal class Nitrososphaeria showed a higher diversity in both the wild habitat and the pot than the garden. Furthermore, soil total potassium content was the most correlated to bacterial community structure of the bulk soil, while soil total nitrogen content and total phosphorus content were most important to archaeal and fungal community structures. We accordingly inferred that B. sessilifolia had a high demand on potassium and microbial Rhizobiales and Nitrososphaeria in soil for its survival. Our findings will contribute to the ex-situ conservation of B. sessilifolia.