Abstract :
[en] Soil microbial communities are key drivers of nutrient cycling and plant performance in
agroecosystems. For example, plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) and certain fungi can enhance nutrient availability, abiotic stress tolerance, and protection against pathogens.
Yet, their response to climate change remains insufficiently documented, especially
concerning biodiversity and soil resilience, which are key to enable the transition towards
sustainable agroecosystems.
Here, we address this gap by studying microbial community diversity in the rhizosphere and rhizoplane of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) grown under the meteorological conditions of the years 2015 and 2094 in the TERRA-Ecotron1. Amplicon sequencing of the 16S rRNA (V3–V4) region was used to identify prokaryotes and the ITS1 region for fungi.
Bray–Curtis dissimilarity and PCoA analyses revealed no significant differences in prokaryotic community composition between climate scenarios. In contrast, fungal communities exhibited significant shifts. The 2094 climate was associated with enrichment in taxa such as Sordariomycetes, Sordariales, Pezizales, Agaricales, and Eurotiomycetes, alongside decreases in Hypocreales, Mortierellomycetes, Capnodiales, Pleosporales, Helotiales, and others. These changes likely reflect niche-specific ecological responses to altered climatic conditions. Importantly, correlation analyses revealed associations between fungal taxa and grain nutrient
contents.
Overall, our results indicate climate resilience of the prokaryotic community, while the fungal communities underwent significant compositional shifts under future climate conditions, with potential consequences for wheat nutrient acquisition and resilience to abiotic stress.
Understanding these dynamics will be crucial to anticipate the challenges of sustainable soil management and crop production under global change.
