@article{gillespie_sit_loucanides_hu_matusko_terwilliger_shi_steffen_woodley_hu_2024, title={Multi-amplicon nitrogen cycling gene standard: An innovative approach for quantifying N-transforming soil microbes in terrestrial ecosystems}, volume={195}, ISSN={["1879-3428"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109461}, DOI={10.1016/j.soilbio.2024.109461}, journal={SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY}, author={Gillespie, Christopher J. and Sit, Tim L. and Loucanides, Althea J. and Hu, Jialin and Matusko, Brooke E. and Terwilliger, Nicholas R. and Shi, Wei and Steffen, Samantha M. and Woodley, Alex L. and Hu, Shuijin}, year={2024}, month={Aug} } @article{hu_cyle_yuan_shi_2024, title={Soil dependence of biochar composts in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions: An overlooked biophysical mechanism}, volume={198}, ISSN={["1873-0272"]}, DOI={10.1016/j.apsoil.2024.105374}, journal={APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY}, author={Hu, Jialin and Cyle, K. Taylor and Yuan, Wenqiao and Shi, Wei}, year={2024}, month={Jun} } @article{hu_miller_shi_2023, title={Abundance, diversity, and composition of root-associated microbial communities varied with tall fescue cultivars under water deficit}, volume={13}, ISSN={["1664-302X"]}, DOI={10.3389/fmicb.2022.1078836}, abstractNote={The plant breeding program has developed many cultivars of tall fescue ( Festuca arundinacea ) with low maintenance and stress tolerance. While the root-associated microbial community helps confer stress tolerance in the host plant, it is still largely unknown how the microbiota varies with plant cultivars under water stress. The study aimed to characterize drought-responsive bacteria and fungi in the roots and rhizosphere of different tall fescue cultivars. Intact grass-soil cores were collected from six cultivars grown in a field trial under no-irrigation for 3 years. Tall fescue under irrigation was also sampled from an adjacent area as the contrast. Bacterial and fungal communities in roots, rhizosphere, and bulk soil were examined for abundance, diversity, and composition using quantitative-PCR and high-throughput amplicon sequencing of 16S rRNA gene and ITS regions, respectively. Differences in microbial community composition and structure between non-irrigated and irrigated samples were statistically significant in all three microhabitats. No-irrigation enriched Actinobacteria in all three microhabitats, but mainly enriched Basidiomycota in the root endosphere and only Glomeromycota in bulk soil. Tall fescue cultivars slightly yet significantly modified endophytic microbial communities. Cultivars showing better adaptability to drought encompassed more relatively abundant Actinobacteria, Basidiomycota, or Glomeromycota in roots and the rhizosphere. PICRUSt2-based predictions revealed that the relative abundance of functional genes in roots related to phytohormones, antioxidant enzymes, and nutrient acquisition was enhanced under no-irrigation. Significant associations between Streptomyces and putative drought-ameliorating genes underscore possible mechanics for microbes to confer tall fescue with water stress tolerance. This work sheds important insight into the potential use of endophytic microbes for screening drought-adaptive genotypes and cultivars.}, journal={FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY}, author={Hu, Jialin and Miller, Grady and Shi, Wei}, year={2023}, month={Jan} } @article{hu_cyle_miller_shi_2023, title={Water deficits shape the microbiome of Bermudagrass roots to be Actinobacteria rich}, volume={99}, ISSN={["1574-6941"]}, url={https://doi.org/10.1093/femsec/fiad036}, DOI={10.1093/femsec/fiad036}, abstractNote={Abstract There is increasing evidence that microbes can help ameliorate plant growth under environmental stress. Still, it is largely unknown what microbes and potential functions are involved in sustaining turfgrass, the major component of urban/suburban landscapes, under drought. We examined microbial responses to water deficits in bulk soil, rhizosphere, and root endosphere of bermudagrass by applying evapotranspiration (ET)-based dynamic irrigation twice per week during the growing season to create six treatments (0%, 40%, 60%, 80%, 100%, and 120% ET) and respective drought-stressed soil conditions. Bacterial and fungal communities were analyzed via marker gene amplicon sequencing and thereafter drought-reshaped potential functions of the bacterial community were projected. Slight yet significant microbial responses to irrigation treatments were observed in all three microhabitats. The root endophytic bacterial community was most responsive to water stress. No-irrigation primarily increased the relative abundance of root endophytic Actinobacteria, especially the genus Streptomyces. Irrigation at ≤40% ET increased the relative abundances of PICRUSt2-predicted functional genes encoding 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylic acid deaminase, superoxide dismutase, and chitinase in root endosphere. Our data suggest that the root endophytic Actinobacteria are likely the key players to improve bermudagrass fitness under drought by modulating phytohormone ethylene production, scavenging reactive oxygen species, or ameliorating nutrient acquisition.}, number={5}, journal={FEMS MICROBIOLOGY ECOLOGY}, author={Hu, Jialin and Cyle, K. Taylor and Miller, Grady and Shi, Wei}, year={2023}, month={Apr} }