Characteristics of Phyllosphere Microbial Communities Associated with Three Different Plants in the Semi-arid Areas of Northwest Liaoning

The purpose of this study is to learn about the differences in the composition of the phyllosphere microorganisms relevant to three representative tree species in northwest Liaoning. Use high-throughput amplicon sequencing to investigate the abundances, diversity, and composition of a major microbial community which includes fungi and bacteria on the leaves of three dominant plant species (Populus ×canadensis Moench (PCM), Pinus tabuliformis Carr (PTC), and Pinus sylvestris var. mongolica (PSM)). PCM had the highest levels of total nitrogen (TN), total phosphorus (TP), and soluble sugars and starch, which were higher than PTC and PSM. In addition, the abundance, diversity, and composition of the phyllosphere microbial communities differed greatly among PCM, PTC, and PSM. PTC hold the highest phyllosphere bacterial Chao1 index, Shannon index, Simpson index, Pielou_e index, and Observed_species, as well as phyllosphere fungal Chao 1 index, Observed_species, Pielou_e index, Shannon index, and Simpson index. Proteobacteria, Actinobacteria, Ascomycota, and Basidiomycota were the dominant phyllosphere microbial communities. Leaf characteristics, including TC, TN, TP, soluble sugar starch, and C/N, were the dominant factors affecting phyllosphere microbial communities. Trees of different genotypes have different leaf characteristics. Furthermore, PCM possesses distinct differences on total carbon and soluble sugar and starch content that deciduous and evergreen trees differ significantly. And plant traits are key factors that affect phyllosphere microbial community structure.