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Sarah Ishak, Dr Geoffrey Donovan, Dr Steven Kembel, Dr Tanya Handa
Socio-economic factors and surrounding green spaces drive phyllosphere communities of private outdoor yard plants
The phyllosphere is defined as the above-ground plant compartments, such as leaves, that are inhabited by micro-organisms. Phyllosphere microbial diversity is associated with positive health outcomes for both plants and people. To benefit from the phyllosphere microbiome, it is important to understand what exactly drives phyllosphere community structures in urban areas. While urban green space projects are ever-expanding throughout the world, outdoor areas of private households are also the first point of contact between people and the phyllosphere in urban areas. Studies repeatedly show that factors such as plant species and light availability have substantial impacts on phyllosphere communities. In urban environments, the presence and size of green spaces can also affect plant phyllosphere communities. The distribution of such areas in North American cities is often correlated with socio-economic factors such as household income, education levels, gender or race. To date, the relationship between socio-economic factors, urban green spaces and the phyllosphere microbiome remains unclear. Hence, we collected and analyzed the phyllosphere bacterial communities of plants from 131 private outdoor yards throughout Portland, Oregon. We found that sampled plant species and household plant diversity impacted outdoor yard plant phyllosphere communities. Notably, we also found that household income, the spatial distribution of households, and the amount of urban green space impacts the outdoor yard plant phyllosphere. This has implications for understanding how urban management influence phyllosphere bacterial diversity, potentially shaping both plant and human health outcomes in urban environments.
