A STUDY ON THE DIFFERENCES IN RHIZOSPHERE AND NONRHIZOSPHERE MICROBIAL COMMUNITY STRUCTURE AND DIVERSITY OF HAINAN PLUM YEW (CEPHALOTAXUS HAINANENSIS) AT DIFFERENT AGES

To explore the characteristics of microbial communities associated with the rhizosphere and nonrhizosphere of Hainan plum yew (Cephalotaxus hainanensis), a rare and endemic medicinal plant in China, soils from both zones were collected from old and young trees in the Yuanbaoshan National Nature Reserve, Guangxi, China.High-throughput sequencing technology was used to study the community characteristics of soil bacteria and fungi.The study found that with increasing age, the structure and diversity of rhizosphere microbial communities changed significantly.The species composition and abundance also showed clear age specificity, indicating that rhizosphere microorganisms of C. hainanensis play an important role during different growth stages.In addition, the diversity indices of rhizosphere microbial communities showed clear age specificity as tree age increased, including richness, evenness, and overall diversity.At the phylum level, the dominant bacterial groups in rhizosphere and non-rhizosphere soils of C. hainanensis at different ages were Proteobacteria, Actinobacteriota, and Acidobacteriota.For fungi, the dominant phyla were Ascomycota, Basidiomycota, and unclassified fungi.At the genus level, the community composition and abundance of soil bacteria were similar.Sebacina was a dominant fungal genus specific to young trees.These results indicate that the age of C. hainanensis significantly affects the structure and diversity of its rhizosphere microbial community, which plays an important role in its growth and ecosystem function.This study provides an important reference for further understanding the interaction between C. hainanensis and its ecological environment.