Conserved and reproducible bacterial communities associate with extraradical hyphae of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi.

Extraradical hyphae (ERH) of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) extend from plant roots into the soil environment and interact with soil microbial communities. Evidence of positive and negative interactions between AMF and soil bacteria point to functionally important ERH-associated communities. To characterize communities associated with ERH and test controls on their establishment and composition, we utilized an in-growth core system containing a live soil-sand mixture that allowed manual extraction of ERH for 16S rRNA gene amplicon profiling. Across experiments and soils, consistent enrichment of members of the Betaproteobacteriales, Myxococcales, Fibrobacterales, Cytophagales, Chloroflexales, and Cellvibrionales was observed on ERH samples, while variation among samples from different soils was observed primarily at lower taxonomic ranks. The ERH-associated community was conserved between two fungal species assayed, Glomus versiforme and Rhizophagus irregularis, though R. irregularis exerted a stronger selection and showed greater enrichment for taxa in the Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria. A distinct community established within 14 days of hyphal access to the soil, while temporal patterns of establishment and turnover varied between taxonomic groups. Identification of a conserved ERH-associated community is consistent with the concept of an AMF microbiome and can aid the characterization of facilitative and antagonistic interactions influencing the plant-fungal symbiosis.