Date

4-2020

Project Type

URC Presentation

Department

MCBS

College or School

COLSA

Class Year

Junior

Major

Biochemistry, Molecular & Cellular Biology; Sustainable Agriculture & Food Systems

Faculty Research Advisor

Louis Tisa

Second Faculty Research Advisor

Celine Pesce

Abstract

Actinorhizal plants are woody dicotyledons from eight families that form symbiotic root nodules with the genus Frankia, nitrogen-fixing actinobacteria. Recent studies have found that actinorhizal nodules contain other bacterial inhabitants besides Frankia. The roles that members of the actinorhizal microbiome play are largely unknown. In this study, several bacterial strains were isolated from alder (Alnus) nodules growing at Adam’s Point in Durham, NH in spring 2018 and 2019. These isolates were tested for chemotactic/chemotropic properties and their impacts on alder seedlings and nodulation. A chemotaxis/chemotropism assay was developed to detect the response of these bacteria to actinorhizal root exudates. Additionally, sterile Alnus glutinosa seedlings grown under nitrogen-deficient conditions were inoculated with bacterial isolates alone or in co-culture with Frankia to assess impacts on plant health. For the chemotaxis assay, a few strains including Kocuria, Curtobacterium, Streptomyces, and Herbaspirillum, exhibited differences in motility or produced crystals depending on conditions. The Streptomyces isolate and one of the Kocuria strains exhibited attraction to root exudates from the actinorhizal plant Eleagnus angustifolia, and A. glutinosa to a lesser extent. Preliminary plant studies suggest Streptomyces strain 23 decreased nitrogen stress symptoms in A. glutinosa, and the Streptomyces and Bacillus isolates may play a role in promoting secondary root formation.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

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