Microbial dispersal
Foliar microbes have a variety of dispersal mechanisms to successfully colonize leaf tissue. These include 1) vertical transmission via seed, 2) bioaerosol transmission in the atmosphere, and 3) animal transmission. Microbes can also disperse on a local level. For example, bacteria can increase leaf surface colonization by using 'fungal highways'. My research is interested in looking at the limitations of microbial dispersal and how variations in dispersal mechanisms affect microbiome community assembly and persistence across space and time.
|