Microgravity stress alters bacterial community assembly and co-occurrence networks during wheat seed germination

Bacterial interactions occurring on and around seeds are integral to plant fitness, health and productivity. Although seed-and plant-associated bacteria are sensitive to environmental stress, the effects of microgravity, as present during plant cultivation in space, on microbial assembly during seed germination are not clear. Here, we characterized the bacterial microbiome assembly process and mechanisms during seed germination of two wheat varieties under simu-lated microgravity by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing and metabolome analysis. We found that the bacterial com-munity diversity, and network complexity and stability were significantly decreased under simulated microgravity. In addition, the effects of simulated microgravity on the plant bacteriome of the two wheat varieties tended to be consis-tent in seedlings. At this stage, the relative abundance of Oxalobacteraceae, Paenibacillaceae, Xanthomonadaceae, Lachnospiraceae, Sphingomonadaceae and Ruminococcaceae decreased, while the relative abundance of Enterobacteriales increased under simulated microgravity. Analysis of predicted microbial function revealed that simulated microgravity exposure leads to lower sphingolipid signaling and calcium signaling pathways. We also found that simulated micro-gravity drove the strengthening of deterministic processes in microbial community assembly. Importantly, some spe-cific metabolites exhibited significant changes under simulated microgravity, suggesting that bacteriome assembly is mediated, at least in part, by metabolites altered by microgravity. The data we present here moves us closer to a holistic understanding of the plant bacteriome under microgravity stress at plant emergence, and provides a theoretical basis for the precise utilization of microorganisms in microgravity to improve plant adaptation to the challenge of cultiva-tion in space.

Automated summary

Under simulated microgravity, the bacterial community diversity and network complexity decreased during seed germination of wheat varieties. The relative abundance of certain bacterial families changed, and the levels of certain metabolites also showed significant changes. This study provides valuable insights into the effects of microgravity on bacterial assembly during seed germination and suggest potential strategies for improving plant adaptation to space cultivation.