Larrouy, JLDhami, MKJones, ElizabethRidgway, HJ2024-11-282022-12-232023-032022-12-201462-291236562630 (pubmed)https://hdl.handle.net/10182/17876Flowers are an important niche for microbes, and microbes in turn influence plant fitness. As flower morphology and biology change rapidly over time, dynamic niches for microbes are formed and lost. Floral physiology at each life stage can therefore influence arrival, persistence and loss of microbial species; however, this remains little understood despite its potential consequences for host reproductive success. Through internal transcribed spacer 1 (ITS1) community profiling, we characterized the effect of transitioning through five floral stages of mānuka (Leptospermum scoparium), from immature bud to spent flower, and subsequent allocation to seed, on the flower-inhabiting fungal community. We found nectar-consuming yeasts from Aureobasidium and Vishniacozyma genera and functionally diverse filamentous fungi from the Cladosporium genus dominated the anthosphere. The candidate core microbiota persisted across this dynamic niche despite high microbial turnover, as observed in shifts in community composition and diversity as flowers matured and senesced. The results demonstrated that floral stages are strong drivers of anthosphere fungal community assembly and dynamics. This study represents the first detailed exploration of fungi through floral development, building on fundamental knowledge in microbial ecology of healthy flowers.pp.766-771Print-Electronicen© 2022 The Authors. Environmental Microbiology published by Applied Microbiology International and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.LeptospermumFlowersPollinationPlant NectarMicrobiotaMycobiomeLeptospermumFlowersPollinationPlant NectarMicrobiotaMycobiomeJournal Article10.1111/1462-2920.163241462-2920ANZSRC::310302 Community ecology (excl. invasive species ecology)ANZSRC::310605 Industrial microbiology (incl. biofeedstocks)ANZSRC::310802 Plant biochemistryANZSRC::310803 Plant cell and molecular biologyANZSRC::3103 EcologyANZSRC::3107 Microbiologyhttps://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/Attribution-NonCommercial