A genomic map of local adaptation in Arabidopsis thaliana to native non-pathogenic bacteria: from mono-infections to complex communities
Résumé
There is growing interest in the potential of harnessing the microbiome towards the improvement of plant health to achieve agricultural goals. To do so through plant breeding, requires a better understanding of the role of the host genome in modulating microbiota variation. In particular, there is a need to overcome the current limits on the description of host-microbiota interactions at the genomic and molecular levels. However, the host genetic architecture structuring microbiota is only partly described in plants. To dissect the genetic architecture driving adaptive plant-microbiota interactions, I will present the results of complementary approaches in association genetics applied on Arabidopsis thaliana: (i) a Genome-Environment Association (GEA) analysis on 141 whole-genome sequenced natural populations of A. thaliana characterized in situ for their leaf and root bacterial communities and a large set of non-microbial ecological factors (i.e., climate, soil, and plant communities), and (ii) a Genome-Wide Association study conducted in field conditions on 162 whole-genome sequenced accessions of A. thaliana inoculated with 13 native Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) isolated from these populations. By combining these two approaches, we established a genomic map of local adaptation in A. thaliana to its native bacterial microbiota. Plant immunity appears as a major source of adaptive genetic variation structuring beneficial interactions between A. thaliana and the main members of its microbiota.