Ecological adaptation and phylogenetic analysis of microsymbionts nodulating polhillia, wiborgia and wiborgiella species in the Cape fynbos, South Africa.
Mpai, Tiisetso Jaiswal, Sanjay K. Cupido, Christopher N. Dakora, Felix D.
Mpai, Tiisetso
Jaiswal, Sanjay K.
Cupido, Christopher N.
Dakora, Felix D.
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Abstract
Polhillia, Wiborgia and Wiborgiella species are shrub legumes endemic to the Cape fynbos of South Africa. They have the ability to fx atmospheric N2 when in symbiosis with soil bacteria called ‘rhizobia’. The aim of this study was to assess the morpho-physiological and phylogenetic characteristics of rhizobia associated with the nodulation of Polhillia, Wiborgia and Wiborgiella species growing in the Cape fynbos. The bacterial isolates from root nodules consisted of a mixture of fast and intermediate growers that difered in colony shape and size. The isolates exhibited tolerance to salinity (0.5–3% NaCl) and pH (pH 5–10) and diferent antibiotic concentrations, and could produce 0.51 to 51.23 µg mL−1 of indole-3-acetic acid (IAA), as well as solubilize tri-calcium phosphate. The ERIC-PCR results showed high genomic diversity in the rhizobial population and grouped them into two major clusters. Phylogenetic analysis based on 16S rRNA, atpD, glnII, gyrB, nifH and nodC gene sequences revealed distinct and novel evolutionary lineages related to the genus Rhizobium and Mesorhizobium, with some of them being very close to Mesorhizobium australicum. However, the phylogenetic analysis of glnII and nifH genes of some isolates showed incongruency.
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Date
2021-01-01
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Nature Research
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Keywords
Polhillia, Wiborgia, Wiborgiella, Rhizobium, Mesorhizobium