Cadmium Exposure-Sedum alfredii Planting Interactions Shape the Bacterial Community in the Hyperaccumulator Plant Rhizosphere.

Rhizospheric bacteria play important roles in plant tolerance and activation of heavy metals. Understanding the bacterial rhizobiome of hyperaccumulators may contribute to the development of optimized phytoextraction for metal-polluted soils. We used 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing to investigate the rhizospheric bacterial communities of the cadmium (Cd) hyperaccumulating ecotype (HE) Sedum alfredii in comparison to its nonhyperaccumulating ecotype (NHE). Both planting of two ecotypes of S. alfredii and elevated Cd levels significantly decreased bacterial alpha-diversity and altered bacterial community structure in soils. The HE rhizosphere harbored a unique bacterial community differing from those in its bulk soil and NHE counterparts. Several key taxa from Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, and TM7 were especially abundant in HE rhizospheres under high Cd stress. The actinobacterial genus Streptomyces was responsible for the majority of the divergence of bacterial community composition between the HE rhizosphere and other soil samples. In the HE rhizosphere, the abundance of Streptomyces was 3.31- to 16.45-fold higher than that in other samples under high Cd stress. These results suggested that both the presence of the hyperaccumulator S. alfredii and Cd exposure select for a specialized rhizosphere bacterial community during phytoextraction of Cd-contaminated soils and that key taxa, such as the species affiliated with the genus Streptomyces, may play an important role in metal hyperaccumulation.IMPORTANCESedum alfredii is a well-known Cd hyperaccumulator native to China. Its potential for extracting Cd relies not only on its powerful uptake, translocation, and tolerance for Cd but also on processes underground (especially rhizosphere microbes) that facilitate root uptake and tolerance of the metal. In this study, a high-throughput sequencing approach was applied to gain insight into the soil-plant-microbe interactions that may influence Cd accumulation in the hyperaccumulator S. alfredii Here, we report the investigation of rhizosphere bacterial communities of S. alfredii in phytoremediation of different levels of Cd contamination in soils. Moreover, some key taxa in its rhizosphere identified in the study, such as the species affiliated with genus Streptomyces, may shed new light on the involvement of bacteria in phytoextraction of contaminated soils and provide new materials for phytoremediation optimization.

Hou D ，Lin Z ，Wang R ，Ge J ，Wei S ，Xie R ，Wang H ，Wang K ，Hu Y ，Yang X ，Lu L ，Tian S ... -  《-》

Mobilization of cadmium by dissolved organic matter in the rhizosphere of hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii.

Pot experiments were conducted to investigate the role of dissolved organic matter (DOM) in the Cd speciation in the rhizosphere of hyperaccumulating ecotype (HE) and non-hyperaccumulating ecotype (NHE) of Sedum alfredii and its effects on Cd mobility. After growing HE S. alfredii, the rhizosphere soil solution pH of heavily polluted soil (HPS) and slightly polluted soil (SPS) was reduced by 0.49 and 0.40 units, respectively, due to enhanced DOC derived from root exudation. The total Cd concentration in soil solution decreased significantly but the decrease accounted for less than 1% of the total Cd uptake in the shoots of HE S. alfredii. Visual MINTEQ speciation predicted that Cd-DOM complexes were the dominant Cd species in soil solutions after the growth of S. alfredii for both soils, followed by the free metal Cd(2+) species. However, Cd-DOM complexes fraction in the rhizosphere soil solution of HE S. alfredii (89.1% and 74.6% for HPS and SPS, respectively) were much greater than NHE S. alfredii (82.8% and 64.7% for HPS and SPS, respectively). Resin equilibration experiment results indicated that DOM from the rhizosphere (R-DOM) of both ecotypes of S. alfredii had the ability to form complexes with Cd, whereas the degree of complexation was significantly higher for HE-R-DOM (79-89%) than NHE-R-DOM (63-74%) in the undiluted sample. The addition of HE-R-DOM significantly (P<0.05) increased the solubility of four Cd minerals while NHE-R-DOM was not as effective at the same concentration. It was concluded that DOM in the rhizosphere of hyperaccumulating ecotype of S. alfredii could significantly increase Cd mobility through the formation of soluble DOM-metal complexes.

Li T ，Liang C ，Han X ，Yang X ... -  《-》

Unique Rhizosphere Micro-characteristics Facilitate Phytoextraction of Multiple Metals in Soil by the Hyperaccumulating Plant Sedum alfredii.

Hou D ，Wang K ，Liu T ，Wang H ，Lin Z ，Qian J ，Lu L ，Tian S ... -  《-》

DNA-SIP delineates unique microbial communities in the rhizosphere of the hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii which are beneficial to Cd phytoextraction.

Rhizo-microbe recruited by hyperaccumulating plants are crucial for the extraction of metals from contaminated soils. It is important, but difficult, to identify the specific rhizosphere microbes of hyperaccumulators shaped by root exudation. Continuous 13CO2 labeling, microbial DNA-based stable isotope probing (DNA-SIP), and high throughput sequencing were applied to identify those rhizosphere microorganisms using exudates from the Cd hyperaccumulator Sedum alfredii. In contrast to its non-hyperaccumulating ecotype (NAE), the hyperaccumulating ecotype (HAE) of S. alfredii strongly changed the rhizosphere environment and extracted a 5-fold higher concentration of Cd from contaminated soil. Although both HAE and NAE harbored Streptomyces, Massilia, Bacillus, and WPS-2 Uncultured Bacteria with relative abundance of more than 1% in the rhizosphere associated with plant growth and immunity, the HAE rhizosphere specifically recruited Rhodanobacter (2.66%), Nocardioides (1.16%), and Burkholderia (1.01%) through exudates to benefit the extraction of Cd from soil. Different from the bacterial network with weak cooperation in the NAE rhizosphere, a closed-loop bacterial network shaped by exudates was established in the HAE rhizosphere to synergistically resist Cd. This research reveals a specific rhizosphere bacterial community induced by exudates assisted in the extraction of Cd by S. alfredii and provides a new perspective for plant regulation of the rhizo-microbe community beneficial for optimizing phytoremediation.

Hu L ，Tan X ，Lu L ，Meng X ，Li Y ，Yao H ... -  《-》

Responses of soil bacterial community and Cd phytoextraction to a Sedum alfredii-oilseed rape (Brassica napus L. and Brassica juncea L.) intercropping system.

Soil pollution with heavy metals has become a common problem in agricultural ecosystems and poses a threat to food safety and human health. Intercropping is now considered a promising alternative to address this issue. However, our understandings about the influences of intercropping systems on rhizosphere microbiota composition and their association with plant performance are still limited. In this study, rhizobox microcosm experiments were conducted to investigate the influence of cropping regimes (i.e. monoculture and intercropping) on the rhizosphere bacterial microbiota and their linkages with the phytoextraction of cadmium (Cd) by Zhongyouza 19 (Brassica napus L.), Xikou Huazi (Brassica juncea L.) and Sedum alfredii using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Cadmium accumulation in shoots of B. napus and B. juncea grown under intercropping were enhanced by 370% and 27.8% respectively, as compared to monoculture. Soil compartmentation as a major determinant explained 57.6% of the rhizosphere bacterial microbiota variation, whereas plant species and cropping regime accounted for 26.4% of the variation. The overall abundance of the taxa was Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Verrucomicrobia, and Actinobacteria. Intercropping significantly enriched amplicon sequence variants (ASVs) abundance belonging to Actinobacteria, Bacilli, Deltaproteobacteria while depleting that of Acidobacteria in rhizosphere. Intercropping with S. alfredii influenced more on microbial composition of B. napus rhizosphere. The change in rhizosphere bacterial communities was related to metal availability, soil properties, and plant parameters. The enriched families of Pedosphaeraceae, Ruminococcaceae, Chitinophagaceae, Gemmatimonadaceae, Nitrosomonadaceae, and Parachlamydiaceae were positively correlated with metal concentration in plants. These results indicate that S. alfredii and oilseed rape intercropping could be a promising approach for enhancing the remediation of Cd contaminated soil. Understanding the complex plant-microbe-metal interactions of intercropping system could facilitate the development of remediation strategy for phytoremediation of contaminated soils and sustainable agricultural production.

Cao X ，Luo J ，Wang X ，Chen Z ，Liu G ，Khan MB ，Kang KJ ，Feng Y ，He Z ，Yang X ... -  《-》