Interspecific selection and local adaptation combine to influence Pinus radiata root microbiome associations

Interspecific selection and local adaptation combine to influence Pinus radiata root microbiome associations | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Interspecific selection and local adaptation combine to influence Pinus radiata root microbiome associations Sarah L. Addison, Luciana Luna-Mendoza, Madeline R. Greene, Megan A. Rúa, and 7 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7246993/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Background Microbiomes have co-evolved with endemic trees over millions of years. However, when these trees are planted beyond their native ranges, it remains unclear whether their below-ground microbial relationships persist or change to reflect to local soil communities. Pinus radiata , with its limited endemic range, has been widely introduced to diverse environments globally, providing a unique opportunity to test how microbiomes are shaped by evolutionary processes versus local environmental adaptation. To investigate this, root and soil samples were collected from endemic regions (Mexico and USA) and introduced regions (Australia and New Zealand), alongside environmental and soil physicochemical data. Results Bacterial and fungal communities showed limited taxonomic overlap between endemic and introduced ranges. Both bacterial and fungal root microbiomes were shaped by local drivers, interspecific selection (range) and local adaptation (region), rather than site specific drivers. For bacterial communities, variation explained by local adaptation (15.8%) was greater than that explained by interspecific selection (11.2%). In contrast, these two processes contributed almost equally to fungal communities (19.8% and 19.3%), indicating that evolutionary processes have had a relatively stronger influence on fungal root microbiome assembly than on bacterial communities. Site-specific factors, particularly the composition of the bulk soil microbiome, strongly influenced bacterial communities in roots, accounting for 21.5% of observed variance. This suggests secondary effects of plant species on soil conditions, especially via changes in soil pH, were important drivers of community structure. Despite limited taxonomic overlap, a small set of core taxa were conserved between endemic and introduced ranges, contributing disproportionately to overall community structure, highlight the ecological significance of conserved taxa. Microbial network structures were broadly conserved across ranges but differed in topology. Bacterial networks in introduced regions were more connected and efficient, while fungal networks remained strongly host-filtered yet displayed greater modularity and dispersion, thus suggesting fungal communities may have adopted more flexible or exploratory structures in response to novel conditions. Conclusions This work provides evidence that tree root microbial assembly processes vary across geographic space, shaped by both site-level environmental variation and evolutionary history. We demonstrate a dynamic interplay between plant, soil environment, and the microbiome. These findings provide insights into microbiome adaptability and offer a foundation for managing forest ecosystems for resilience under changing conditions. The success of P. radiata in its introduced range appears to be supported by its ability to engage with the microbiome community composition that draw on both evolutionary legacy and local adaptation, enabling successful microbial associations in diverse environments. Community ecology core microbiomes plant roots environmental drivers coevolution Full Text Additional Declarations The authors declare no competing interests. Supplementary Files SupplementarymaterialV2.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Posted Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7246993","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":492830202,"identity":"9af33755-b8eb-4a36-928b-04a464a87cb3","order_by":0,"name":"Sarah L. 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However, when these trees are planted beyond their native ranges, it remains unclear whether their below-ground microbial relationships persist or change to reflect to local soil communities. \u003cem\u003ePinus radiata\u003c/em\u003e, with its limited endemic range, has been widely introduced to diverse environments globally, providing a unique opportunity to test how microbiomes are shaped by evolutionary processes versus local environmental adaptation. To investigate this, root and soil samples were collected from endemic regions (Mexico and USA) and introduced regions (Australia and New Zealand), alongside environmental and soil physicochemical data.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eResults\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eBacterial and fungal communities showed limited taxonomic overlap between endemic and introduced ranges. Both bacterial and fungal root microbiomes were shaped by local drivers, interspecific selection (range) and local adaptation (region), rather than site specific drivers. For bacterial communities, variation explained by local adaptation (15.8%) was greater than that explained by interspecific selection (11.2%). In contrast, these two processes contributed almost equally to fungal communities (19.8% and 19.3%), indicating that evolutionary processes have had a relatively stronger influence on fungal root microbiome assembly than on bacterial communities. Site-specific factors, particularly the composition of the bulk soil microbiome, strongly influenced bacterial communities in roots, accounting for 21.5% of observed variance. This suggests secondary effects of plant species on soil conditions, especially via changes in soil pH, were important drivers of community structure. Despite limited taxonomic overlap, a small set of core taxa were conserved between endemic and introduced ranges, contributing disproportionately to overall community structure, highlight the ecological significance of conserved taxa. Microbial network structures were broadly conserved across ranges but differed in topology. Bacterial networks in introduced regions were more connected and efficient, while fungal networks remained strongly host-filtered yet displayed greater modularity and dispersion, thus suggesting fungal communities may have adopted more flexible or exploratory structures in response to novel conditions.\u003c/p\u003e\u003ch2\u003eConclusions\u003c/h2\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis work provides evidence that tree root microbial assembly processes vary across geographic space, shaped by both site-level environmental variation and evolutionary history. We demonstrate a dynamic interplay between plant, soil environment, and the microbiome. These findings provide insights into microbiome adaptability and offer a foundation for managing forest ecosystems for resilience under changing conditions. The success of \u003cem\u003eP. radiata\u003c/em\u003e in its introduced range appears to be supported by its ability to engage with the microbiome community composition that draw on both evolutionary legacy and local adaptation, enabling successful microbial associations in diverse environments.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Interspecific selection and local adaptation combine to influence Pinus radiata root microbiome associations","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2025-07-31 18:10:30","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-7246993/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"researchsquare","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":true,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"/submission","title":"Research Square","twitterHandle":"researchsquare","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":false,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"4f18d463-a6bd-495c-970a-3c15afd0bcb1","owner":[],"postedDate":"July 31st, 2025","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"posted","subjectAreas":[],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2025-07-31T18:10:30+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2025-07-31 18:10:30","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-7246993","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-7246993","identity":"rs-7246993","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"8U1c8b4HqxoKbykW_rLl7","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}