Miss Zoe King1, Hannah L. Buckley1, Gavin Lear2, Brent Seale1, Donnabella Lacap-Bugler1
1School of Science, Auckland University of Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, 2School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
Kauri (Agathis australis) are sacred coniferous trees endemic to the upper North Island of New Zealand. Due to anthropogenic disturbance during the 19th century, less than 1 % of original kauri forests remain today. This species is now under an additional biological threat known as kauri dieback; a root rotting disease caused by the soil-borne oomycete Phytophthora agathidicida. Interactions between this plant disease and the surrounding soil microbial communities are not well understood but may be crucial in determining the potential for the resilience of some kauri to this disease. Therefore, 96 kauri trees within six plots were randomly selected for sampling from a kauri forest in Auckland, New Zealand. Four soil samples were taken at the cardinal points around each tree for microbial community analysis. Tree canopy health scores and the presence of basal bleeds (associated with dieback disease) were also recorded. Environmental DNA was extracted from the 384 samples and the V3-V4 region of the 16S rRNA gene amplified before sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq system. Multivariate analysis showed that bacterial community composition and diversity varied among trees. These results advance our understanding of the microbial interactions involved in the progression of kauri dieback disease.
Biography:
I am a PhD student currently interested in the areas of microbial ecology and molecular biology. My PhD research is focused on understanding the composition and functional variations in soil microbial communities surrounding kauri trees threatened by dieback disease.