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Selenium and the Plant Microbiome

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Selenium in plants

Part of the book series: Plant Ecophysiology ((KLEC,volume 11))

Abstract

Studies of plant microbiomes, which include all microorganisms that occur on and inside plants, are increasingly popular in multiple fields, particularly due to advances in next generation sequencing, a technique that has advantages over traditional culture-based methods. There are many advances yet to be made with regard to the interaction of selenium (Se) and the plant microbiome. This chapter will discuss aspects of the plant microbiome as well as the discoveries to date with regard to plant-associated microbes and Se, mostly explored through culture-dependent methods. Selenium hyperaccumulators appear to harbor equally diverse microbial communities as non-hyperaccumulators, although the microbial composition may vary. Investigations have isolated a variety of microbes from plants or soil in seleniferous areas including bacteria and fungi with enhanced Se tolerance. Inoculation of plants with individual strains or consortia of microbes was able to promote plant growth, Se uptake and/or Se volatilization, which shows promise for applications in phytoremediation or biofortification. Plant-derived microbes may also be applicable for cleanup of Se from wastewaters.

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Acknowledgements

The author would like to acknowledge contributors to this project including the Earth Microbiome Project and a Nick Stavros graduate student fellowship from the Colorado State University Biology Department. I would also like to thank Erin Lapsansky and Michela Schiavon for providing insight and edits.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80525, USA

    Alyssa T. Cochran

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  1. Alyssa T. Cochran
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Correspondence to Alyssa T. Cochran .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA

    Elizabeth A.H. Pilon-Smits

  2. Institute of Biogeochemistry and Pollutant Dynamics, ETH Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland

    Lenny H.E. Winkel

  3. Environmental Sciences Program and Department of Biological Sciences, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, Edwardsville, Illinois, USA

    Zhi-Qing Lin

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Cochran, A.T. (2017). Selenium and the Plant Microbiome. In: Pilon-Smits, E., Winkel, L., Lin, ZQ. (eds) Selenium in plants. Plant Ecophysiology, vol 11. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-56249-0_7

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