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. 2025 Sep 27.
doi: 10.1111/nph.70591. Online ahead of print.

Host-mediated selection drives sexual dimorphism of microbiota assembly in the dioecious living fossil Ginkgo biloba

Chen-Feng Lin  1 , Jun-Jie Wu  1   2 , Yun-Peng Zhao  1   2
Affiliations

Host-mediated selection drives sexual dimorphism of microbiota assembly in the dioecious living fossil Ginkgo biloba

Chen-Feng Lin et al. New Phytol. .

Abstract
in English, Chinese

Dioecious plants harbor sexually dimorphic microbiota that enhance their reproductive success. However, the spatial and temporal patterns, particularly the ecological processes underlying the sexual dimorphism of plant microbiota assembly, remain largely unknown. We investigated the bacterial and fungal communities in 180 samples collected from male and female trees of Ginkgo biloba across three niches and three developmental stages, quantifying the relative importance of host-mediated selection to assess the role of host sex in microbiota assembly. Our results revealed significant filtering of ginkgo microbiota along the soil-root-leaf continuum, as well as dynamic shifts throughout the annual growth cycle of the host. Male and female hosts exerted differential selection on specific microbial taxa, leading to sexually dimorphic microbiota compositions with spatiotemporal variations. Chemoheterotrophic bacteria were enriched in male leaves during the flowering stage, whereas pathogenic and saprotrophic fungi were depleted in female trees during the seed set stage. Host-mediated selection on specific microbial functional groups drives the sexual dimorphism of microbiota assembly, aligning with sex-specific reproductive and adaptive strategies. Our findings reveal a dynamic connection between plant sex and microbiota function in long-lived woody plants, and lay a foundation for future microbiome-assisted conservation of dioecious species.

雌雄异株植物通过维持性别二态的共生微生物群来提高其繁殖适合度。然而，此类微生物群构建的时空动态及其背后的生态过程尚不明确。 本研究对银杏(Ginkgo biloba)雌雄植株三个生态位在三个发育阶段的180个样本进行了细菌与真菌群落分析，并通过量化宿主介导的选择作用，揭示了宿主性别在共生微生物群组装过程中的作用。 结果表明，银杏共生微生物群在土壤‐根‐叶连续体中表现出显著的过滤效应，并随宿主发育阶段发生动态变化。雌雄宿主对特定微生物类群施加差异化选择压力，从而形成了具有时空变异的微生物群性别二态性。花期雄株叶片中化能异养细菌显著富集，而结实期雌株中病原真菌和腐生真菌明显减少。 宿主对特定微生物功能群的选择驱动了共生微生物群组装的性别二态性，这一现象与性别特异的繁殖和适应策略相一致。本研究揭示了多年生木本植物性别与微生物功能之间的动态关联，为开展雌雄异株植物的微生物组辅助保护提供了理论基础。.

Keywords: Ginkgo biloba; dioecious plants; host‐mediated selection; microbiota assembly; sexual dimorphism; spatiotemporal dynamics.

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