Bacteria are ubiquitously present in every ecosystem on earth. While bacterial communities that reside in specific habitats, called the microbiota, have characteristic compositions, their constituents are exchanged between habitats. To understand the assembly processes and function of a microbial community in an ecosystem, it is thus important to identify its putative sources and sinks. The sources and sinks of the plant leaf microbiome, also called the phyllosphere microbiome, are still under debate. Here, I hypothesized that precipitation is a so far neglected source of the phyllosphere microbiome. Using 16S rRNA amplicon and metagenomic sequencing, I identified the genera Massilia, Sphingomonas, Methylobacterium, Pseudomonas, Acidiphilium, and Pantoea as members of the core rain microbiome in Blacksburg, VA. Further, I used rainwater as a bacterial inoculum to treat tomato plants. I showed that rain-borne bacteria of the genera Chryseobacterium, Enterobacter, Pantoea, Paenibacillus, Duganella, Streptomyces, Massilia, Shinella, Janthinobacterium, Erwinia, and Hyphomicrobium were significantly more abundant in the tomato phyllosphere 7 days post-inoculation, suggesting that these rain-borne bacteria successfully colonized the tomato phyllosphere and had a direct impact on the composition of its microbiome. These results were confirmed by comparing the phyllosphere microbiota of tomato plants grown under greenhouse conditions, and thus never exposed to rain, compared to plants grown outside under environmental conditions, including precipitation. Since a large diversity of bacteria is associated with rain, I also hypothesized that rain-borne bacteria are well adapted to environmental stresses, similar to the stressors microbial biopesticides are exposed to in the field. I thus explored rain as a source of resilient biopesticides to control fire blight, caused by the bacterial pathogen Erwinia amylovora, on apple. In an in-vitro dual culture assay, I identified rain-borne isolates displaying broad-range inhibition against E. amylovora and several other plant pathogens. Two rain-borne isolates, identified as Pantoea agglomerans and P. ananatis, showed the strongest inhibition of E. amylovora. Further experiments showed that these two Pantoea isolates survive under environmental conditions and have a strong protective effect against E. amylovora. However, protection from disease in an orchard was inconsistent, suggesting that the timing of application and formulations must be improved for field applications. Using a UV-mutagenesis screen and whole-genome sequencing, I found that a phenazine antibiotic produced by the P. agglomerans isolate was the likely active molecule that inhibited E. amylovora. Bacterial communities are constantly released as aerosols into the atmosphere from plant, soil, and aquatic sources. When in the atmosphere, bacteria may play crucial roles in geochemical processes, including the formation of precipitation. To understand the potential role of decaying vegetation as a source of atmospheric Ice Nucleation Particles (INPs), I analyzed a historic leaf litter sample collected in 1970 that had maintained Ice Nucleation Activity (INA) for 48 years. A culture-dependent analysis identified the bacterial species Pantoea ananatis and the fungal species Mortierella alpina to have INA and to be present in the leaf litter sample. Further, I determined that both P. ananatis and M. alpina produced heat-sensitive sub-micron INPs that may contribute to atmospheric INPs. The development of new sequencing technologies has facilitated our understanding of microbial community composition, assembly, and function. Most research in bacterial community composition is based on the sequencing of a single region of the 16S rRNA gene. Here, I tested the potential of culture-independent 16S rRNA sequencing of the phyllosphere microbiome for disease diagnosis. I compared the community composition of the microbiome of the aerial parts of cheddar pinks (Dianthus gratianopolitanus) that showed disease symptoms with the microbiome of healthy plants to identify the causative agent. However, I found that the pathogen is probably ubiquitous on cheddar pinks since it was present at similar abundance levels in symptomatic as well as healthy plants. Moreover, the low-resolution of 16S rRNA sequencing did not allow to identify the pathogen at the species or strain level. In summary, in this thesis, I found support for the hypothesis that rain is one of the sources of the phyllosphere microbiome, that rain is a promising source of biopesticides to control plant diseases in the field, that leaf litter is a source of atmospheric INPs, and that 16S rRNA sequencing is not well suited for pathogen identification in support of plant disease diagnosis. Finally, in additional research to which I contributed but that is not included in this thesis, I found that metagenomic sequencing can identify pathogens at the species and strain level and can overcome the limitations of 16S rRNA sequencing. / Doctor of Philosophy / Bacteria are present in nearly every ecosystem on earth. Bacterial communities that reside in a specific habitat are known as microbiota and have characteristic compositions and functions that directly impact the health of ecosystems. Microbiota associated with plants, the so-called plant microbiota, play a crucial role in plant fitness. Thus, it is important to study the assembly and diversity of plant microbiota and their impact on the ecosystem. The sources of leaf microbiota remain to be elucidated. Here, I have studied the contribution of rainfall to the bacteria that live on and in plant leaves. First, using DNA sequencing, I identified the bacteria present in rainfall in Blacksburg, VA. Then, using rain as bacterial inoculum, I found that some rain-borne bacteria, including members of the genera Pantoea, Massilia, Janthinobacterium, and Enterobacter, are efficient colonizers of tomato leaves. Either absence or low abundance of rain-borne bacteria from tomato leaves never exposed to rainfall confirmed further that bacteria in rain contribute to the assembly of plant leaf microbiota. The identification of all putative sources and sinks of leaf microbiota is important when trying to manipulate them to improve plant health and crop yield. Since I found that rainfall contains many different bacteria, I also studied the potential application of rain-borne bacteria in agriculture. The main limitations of commercial bio-pesticides are their poor survival and limited efficacy in the field. Here, I speculated that rain-borne bacteria are well adapted to environmental stressors and could represent efficient bio-pesticides under field conditions. In fact, I isolated two rain-borne bacteria from the genus Pantoea that strongly inhibited Erwinia amylovora, the causal agent of the fire blight disease of apple, in the laboratory under controlled conditions. However, I observed inconsistent results in a 2-year field trial in an orchard. Using mutagenesis and DNA sequencing, I found the active molecule that likely inhibited E. amylovora, in one of the rain-borne isolates. Finally, the access to newer and cheaper sequencing technologies has recently facilitated the study of bacteria at large scale. Most research of microbiota is based on the sequencing of a single region of one gene, the 16S rRNA gene. Here, I tested the potential of 16S rRNA sequencing of leaf microbiota for disease diagnosis. However, I identified the pathogen in healthy and diseased plants, suggesting its ubiquitous presence. Further, due to the low-resolution of 16S rRNA sequencing, it was impossible to identify the pathogen at the species level. In summary, I found that rain is a source that contributes to leaf microbiota, that rain is a promising source of bio-pesticides to control plant diseases, and that 16S rRNA sequencing is not recommended as a tool to diagnose plant diseases.

Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera L., les principales espèces de raisins sont cultivées pour la production de fruits et la production de vin dans le monde est un hôte naturel d'une grande variété de micro-organismes procaryotes et eucaryotes qui interagissent avec la vigne, ayant des effets bénéfiques ou phytopathogènes. Ils pourraient également jouer un rôle majeur dans le rendement des fruits, la qualité du raisin, la protection des plantes et, finalement, dans le modèle de la fermentation du raisin et la production de vin. La phyllosphère (constituée des parties aériennes de la plante) est l'un des habitats microbiens les plus répandus sur terre et est un milieu assez négligé, en particulier dans les vignes et de nombreuses questions liées à cet habitat microbien sont toujours sans réponse.Cette thèse est un effort pour répondre à une question fondamentale en écologie microbienne: quels sont les facteurs qui déterminent le microbiome dans la phyllosphère de la vigne? Les communautés microbiennes de la phyllosphère (PMCs) vivent à l'interface plante-climat et sa capacité à s'établir, prospérer et se reproduire sur la surface des feuilles ou des fruits dépend de plusieurs caractéristiques fonctionnelles microbiennes, comme la capacité de se fixer sur la cuticule et d'utiliser la foliaire. nutriments ainsi que les conditions climatiques dominantes comme la température, l'humidité de l'air et la pluie. La chimie des feuilles ou des fruits, la physiologie et la structure morphologique diffèrent selon le génotype et l'espèce puisque tous ces traits ont une base génétique, et cette variation peut mener à une combinaison différente d'assemblage de PMC parmi les génotypes de plantes. Ainsi, le premier objectif de notre travail était d'évaluer les impacts des cultivars de vigne (variétés de Vitis vinifera L) et des espèces de vigne (espèces Vitis entièrement différentes) sur l'assemblage du microbiome dans la phyllosphère à un endroit géographique particulier (pour minimiser les effets environnementaux) . Plus tard, les impacts de certains cultivars et terroirs de vigne commercialement importants (représentés par trois zones climatiques françaises) ont également été évalués et comparés. Les impacts de la saison et des organes extérieurs de la plante (feuilles et baies) sur la structuration des taxons microbiens dans la phyllosphère ont également été évalués et présentés dans ce travail. De plus, des impacts spécifiques à l'espèce sur le microbiome de la phyllosphère ont également été testés et représentés.Dans l'ensemble, notre étude a évalué et comparé les nombreuses facettes des facteurs qui peuvent influencer structure du microbiome dans la phyllosphère avec un accent particulier sur la pression de sélection relative exercée par le génotype de la vigne et son interaction avec différentes conditions climatiques (ou terroir), ce qui peut améliorer nos chances de trouver des gènes contrôlant les PMCs sur la phyllosphère. les gènes sont réellement importants dans des environnements réalistes et probablement ces gènes nous donneraient de nouvelles idées pour la sélection de nouveaux cépages sains présentant de meilleurs caractères sur leur phyllosphère. De plus, considérant que les PMC végétales jouent un rôle crucial dans la santé et la forme des plantes car elles peuvent moduler la susceptibilité foliaire aux infections, cette étude pourrait également être utile pour développer des méthodes de biocontrôle innovantes et naturelles ou phytostimulation contre les pathogènes de la vigne. de variétés résistantes innovantes. / Vitis vinifera subsp. vinifera L., the main grape species are grown for fruit and wine production over the world is a natural host of a wide variety of prokaryotic and eukaryotic microorganisms that interact with grapevine, having either beneficial or phytopathogenic effects. They could also play a major role in fruit yield, grape quality, plant protection and, ultimately, in the pattern of grape fermentation and wine production. Phyllosphere (consists of the aerial parts of the plant) is one of the most prevalent microbial habitats on earth and is quite a neglected milieu, especially in grapevines and many questions related to this microbial habitat, are still unanswered.This thesis is an effort to answer a very fundamental question in microbial ecology- what are the drivers that shape the microbiome in the grapevine's phyllosphere? The phyllosphere microbial communities (PMCs) live at the plant-climate interface and its ability to establish, thrive and reproduce on the leaf or fruit surface depends on several microbial functional traits, such as the ability to attach to the cuticle and to use the foliar nutrients as well as well as to the prevailing climatic conditions like temperature, air humidity and rain. Leaf or fruit chemistry, physiology, and morphological structure differ among plant genotype and species as all these traits have a genetic basis, and this variation may lead to a different combination of PMCs assemblage among plant genotypes. Hence, the first objective of our work was to assess the impacts of grapevine cultivars (varieties of Vitis vinifera L) and grapevine species (entirely different Vitis species) on microbiome assemblage in the phyllosphere at a particular geographic location (to minimize the environmental effects). Later on, impacts of some commercially important grapevine cultivars and terroirs (represented by three French climate zones) were also assessed and compared. Impacts of the season and exterior plant organs (leaf and berries) on microbial taxa structuring in the phyllosphere was also assessed and presented in this work. Furthermore, species-specific impacts on phyllosphere microbiome were also tested and represented.Overall our study assessed and compared the many facets of the factors that may influence themicrobiome structure in the phyllosphere with a special focus on relative selection pressure exerted by grapevine genotype and its interaction with different climatic conditions (or terroir), which may improve our chances to find genes that controls PMCs on phyllosphere, and simultaneously increase our confidence that those genes are actually important in realistic environments and probably those genes would give us new insights for breeding new and healthy grape varieties displaying better traits on their phyllosphere. Moreover, considering that the plant PMCs plays a crucial role in plant health and fitness as it can modulate leaf susceptibility to infection, this study could also be helpful to develop innovative and natural biocontrol methods or phytostimulation against grapevine pathogens or rethink breeding schemes for the creation of innovative resistant varieties.

Les feuilles hébergent une grande diversité de micro-organismes. Parmi les facteurs responsables de la structuration des communautés microbiennes foliaires, l’effet du processus de dispersion reste peu étudié. Les structures paysagères telles que les lisières ou l’hétérogénéité du paysage influencent la migration et la dispersion de nombreuses espèces de macro-organismes, mais l’effet de tels facteurs sur la composition des communautés microbiennes foliaires n’a jamais été testé.Nous faisons l’hypothèse que les parcelles forestières sont une source de champignons foliaires pour les vignes adjacentes. Nous avons comparé les communautés fongique foliaires et aériennes de la vigne et des forêts adjacentes au cours d’une saison de végétation, testé l’effet d’une lisière forestière sur ces communautés et évalué l’effet de la composition du paysage sur ces communautés. Les communautés fongiques ont été caractérisées par métabarcoding.Les communautés fongiques foliaires viticoles et forestières divergent au cours de la saison. Ni la distance à la lisière, ni la proportion de forêt dans le paysage n’affectent les communautés foliaires de la vigne, mais les communautés aériennes diffèrent en fonction de la distance à la lisière forestière. Ces résultats suggèrent que la dispersion ne joue qu’un rôle mineur dans la structure des communautés fongiques foliaires. De nombreuses pressions de sélection telles que les pratiques agricoles semblent en revanche avoir un effet fort sur ces communautés. Des études supplémentaires sont nécessaires pour vérifier la contribution relative de ces pressions de sélection, ainsi que le potentiel service de régulation fourni aux cultures par la forêt. / Plant leaves host a large diversity of microorganisms. Among the factors shaping foliar microbial community structure, the effect of the dispersal process remain understudied. Landscape elements, such as edges or landscape heterogenity, influence migration and dispersal of many macro-organism species. However, the effect of such factors on foliar microbial communities has never been studied. We hypothesized that forests are a source of foliar fungi for adjacent vineyards. We compared foliar and airborne fungal communities in vineyard and adjacent forests along a vegetative season, we examined the effect of a forest edge on these communities in a vineyard, and weassessed the effect of landscape composition on these communities. Fungal communities were characterized with a metabarcoding method. Foliar fungal communities in vineyards and forests diverge over the course of the vegetative season. Neither the distance to the edge nor the proportion of forest in the landscape affect foliar fungal communities in vineyards, while airborne communities change with the distance to the forest edge. These results suggest that dispersal is not dominant in shaping foliar fungal communities. Instead, many selective pressures such as agricultural practices seem to shape strongly these communities. Further investigations are required in order to estimate the relative contribution of those processes, and the potential ecosystem service provided by the forest to crops.

É crescente o reconhecimento da importância de micro-organismos diazotróficos assimbióticos em florestas tropicais. Nos últimos anos, tem sido demostrado que suas contribuições para o ganho de nitrogênio em ecossistemas naturais podem ser até maiores do que as contribuições dos sistemas simbióticos. No entanto, a diversidade e os mecanismos que determinam a estruturação das comunidades de diazotróficos assimbióticos são pouco conhecidos. Para compreender melhor a diversidade e a estruturação de suas comunidades na Floresta Amazônica, os diazotróficos assimbióticos da filosfera, serapilheira e rizosfera de nove espécies arbóreas em três épocas distintas foram avaliados utilizando-se sequenciamento em larga escala dos genes rRNA 16S e nifH. Os resultados mostraram que cada micro-habitat seleciona comunidades diazotróficas distintas, as quais variam também com a época do ano. As comunidades de diazotróficos também mostraram ser dependentes dos táxons das árvores, com o maior efeito seletivo na filosfera. Para todas as condições estudadas, as comunidades diazotróficas apresentaram altos índices de diversidade e riqueza, com os maiores índices de Shannon e Chao1 na Serapilheira (9,57 e 5222, respectivamente), em relação a filosfera (7,4 e 3145, respectivamente) e a rizosfera (8,65 e 2868, respectivamente). A maior proporção de bactérias diazotróficas em relação a comunidade total de bactérias, com base na abundância de sequências do gene rRNA 16S, foi observada na filosfera (23%), em relação a serapilheira (20%) e rizosfera (18%). De uma maneira geral, essa proporção relativa não foi afetada pela época de amostragem, muito embora as estruturas das comunidades tenham variado, sugerindo existência de redundância funcional para FBN. Os três micro-habitats mostraram dominância do filo Proteobacteria, com frequências aproximadas a 81% na filosfera, 93% na rizosfera de 82% na serapilheira. O filo Cyanobacteria apresentou frequências relevantes na filosfera e serapilheira, com aproximadamente 17% e 5%, respectivamente. Firmicutes mostrou frequências, na serapilheira e rizosfera, de aproximadamente 12% e 5%, respectivamente. Estes resultados mostram que os micro-organismos diazotróficos assimbóticos associados com as árvores podem ter um importante papel na entrada do nitrogênio em florestas tropicais e que a estrutura de tais comunidades é determinada pelo seu micro-habitat, hospedeiro e época do ano. / There is increasing recognition of the importance of assimbiotic diazotrophic microorganisms in tropical forests. In recent years, it has been shown that their contributions to the nitrogen inputs can be even higher than the contributions of symbiotic systems in natural ecosystems. However, the diversity and the mechanisms driving the assembling of the communities of assimbiotic diazotrophs in tropical forests are poorly understood. To better understand the diversity and assembling of the diazothrophs communities in the Amazon forest, the assimbiotic diazotrophs in the phyllosphere, litter and rhizosphere from nine tree species in three distinct times of year were evaluated using large-scale sequencing of 16S rRNA and nifH genes. The results showed that each microhabitat selected distinct diazotrophic communities, which were also affected by the time of year. The structure of the communities of putative diazotrophs were also dependent on the tree taxa, with greater selection effect on the phyllosphere. For all conditions studied, the communities of putiative diazothrophs showed high diversity indexes and OTU richness, with the highest Shannon and Chao1 indexes detected for the litter (9.57 and 5222, respectively), as compared to phyllosphere (7.4 and 3145, respectively) and rhizosphere (8.65 and 2868, respectively). The highest proportion of diazotrophic bacteria in relation to the total bacteria, based on the abundance of sequences of 16S rRNA genes, was observed in the phyllosphere (23%), as compared to litter (20%) and rhizosphere (18%). Overall, the relative abundance of dizothrophic bacteria in the bacterial community was not affected by the sampling time, even though the community structures varied, suggesting the occurrence of functional redundancy for BNF. In the three microhabitats, dominance of the phylum Proteobacteria, with frequencies of approximately 81% in the phyllosphere, 93% in the rhizosphere and 82% in the litter, was observed. Cyanobacteria showed significantly higher frequencies in the phyllosphere and litter, approximately 17% and 5%, respectively, as compared to rhizosphere. Firmicutes also showed high frequencies in the litter and rhizosphere, approximately 12 % and 5%, respectively. These results showed that the assimbiotic putative diazotrophic microorganisms associated with trees may play an important role in the input of nitrogen in tropical forests and that the structure of their communities is determined by the microhabitat, host taxon and time of year.

Diazotróficos de vida-livre podem ser encontradas associadas à filosfera, dermosfera e rizosfera das espécies vegetais. Alguns dados sugerem que a fixação biológica de N2 (FBN) por bactérias assimbióticas representa uma entrada importante de nitrogênio nos ecossistemas tropicais, variando com as espécies vegetais e nas diferentes partes da planta. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos estimar a quantidade de N2 fixado de forma assimbiótica na filosfera, dermosfera e rizosfera sobre a copa das espécies vegetais Guapira oposita e Euterpe edulis, e avaliar a diversidade das bactérias assimbióticas, através da análise do gene rRNA 16S, em uma Restinga ,em Ubatuba, SP. O estudo foi realizado no Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba, em épocas de baixa e alta pluviosidade. A atividade da nitrogenase foi determinada pela técnica de redução do acetileno e as concentrações de etileno foram determinadas por cromatografia gasosa. A diversidade de bactérias que habitam filosfera, dermosfera e solo foi acessada por pirosequenciamento da região V4 do gene rRNA 16S. A maior fixação de N foi observada na dermosfera de E. edulis nas duas épocas de coleta (175,1± 53,4 ng cm-2 h-1; 97,2 ± 21 ng cm-2 h-1), as taxas de fixação de N mais baixas foram observadas no solo. Na época de alta pluviosidade, a FBN na filosfera de G. oposita (52,0 ± 12 ng cm-2 h-1) foi significativamente maior do que a filosfera de E. edulis (3,6 ± 06 ng cm-2. h-1) e do que no mesmo compartimento mas em diferentes épocas de coleta (7,5 ± 1,3 ng cm-2 h-1). O valor do 15N foi maior no solo onde a fixação de N foi mais baixa. Na filosfera e na dermosfera, a relação C/N foi mais baixa quando a FBN foi mais alta. A FBN no solo e serrapilheira de restinga apresentou grande variação espacial, com locais de alta atividade. As 188629 sequências obtidas foram agrupadas em 16727 Unidades Taxonômicas Operacionais (UTOs), distribuídos em 35 filos. Os principais filos detectados foram Proteobacteria (38%) e Acidobacteria (12%). As classes Alphaproteobacteria e Gammaproteobacteria foram as mais abundantes nos três compartimentos. Potenciais fixadores de N foram detectados nas classes Alpha Beta e Gammaproteobacteria. A abundância de cianobacterias fixadoras de N na filosfera e na dermosfera foi baixa, indicando que outros diazotróficos também colonizam esses ambientes e contribuem com a FBN. / Free-living N2 fixing bacteria can be found associated with the phyllosphere, bark and rizosphere of the diferent plant species. Some data suggest that biological N2 fixation (BNF) by free-living bacteria represents an important input of nitrogen in tropical ecosystem, varying with the plant species and in different parts of the plant. This study aimed to estimate the amount of N2 fixed in the phyllosphere, bark and soil under the canopy of Guapira opposite and Euterpe edullis, and evaluate the diversity of bacteria through the sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene analysis, the phyllosphere, bark and soil in a Restinga area, Ubatuba, SP. The study was conducted in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba in seasons of low and high rainfall. Nitrogenase activity was determined by the acetylene reduction assay (ARA) and ethylene concentrations were determined by gas chromatography. The diversity of bacteria in the phyllosphere, bark and soil was accesed using pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 region. The bark of Euterpe edullis was higher at both sampling times (175,1±53,4 ng. cm-2. h-1, 97,2±21 ng. cm-2. h-1). The BNF rates were lower in soil. In high rainfall conditions, the BNF in the phyllosphere of Guapira opposite increased significantly (52,0±12 ng. cm-2. h-1) when compared with Euterpe edullis (3,6 ± 06 ng. cm-2. h-1) and Guapira opposite (7,5 ± 1,3 ng. cm-2. h-1) phyllosphere. The value of 15N was higher in the soil where the rates of FBN was lower. In the phyllosphere and bark, C/N was lower when BNF was higher. BNF in soil great spatial variation with areas of high activity. The 18.629 sequences obtained were grouped into 16.727 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) distributed in 35 phyla. The main phyla Proteobacteria represented 38% of the OTUs and Acidobacteria 12% of the UTOs. The classes Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant in the three compartmens. Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the main potential N-fixers. The abundance of nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria in the phyllosphere and bark was low, indicating that others diazotrophics also colonize these environments and contribute with BNF.

Les sols des oliveraies subissent des pressions environnementales fortes telles que les contraintes pédoclimatiques méditerranéennes et des pratiques agronomiques intensives. Ils requièrent une grande attention face aux changements climatiques. En zone littorale, les stress osmotiques et thermiques s’intensifient. Dans un contexte d’exacerbations de pressions, les sols pourraient subir des modifications profondes de leur qualité, modifications qu’il serait possible d’atténuer en adoptant des pratiques agricoles "durables". Ce projet de thèse a pour objectif d’examiner, en tenant compte de la littoralité, l’impact de pratiques conventionnelles et de conservation sur les activités microbiennes des cycles du C et N et les caractéristiques chimiques du sol. Ont été évaluées dépendamment de la distance à la mer, I)les fonctions des communautés microbiennes de la phyllosphère et de la rhizosphère de l’olivier, II)l’incidence du labour, de co-culture de Fabaceae, d’un enherbement et d’un apport de margions au Liban et en France, III)les réponses microbiennes à des stress hydriques après différentes pratiques. Ce travail a porté plus précisément sur les activités enzymatiques et cataboliques microbiennes intervenant dans la transformation de la matière organique dont la qualité a été étudiée par RMN du solide13C. Ce travail a permis d’observer une littoralité des fonctionnements microbiens avec une atténuation probable des émissions de CO2 par l’utilisation des pratiques de conservation. Par conséquent il est nécessaire de développer en oléiculture intensive des pratiques garantissant la stabilité des fonctions écologiques supportées par les relations sols/microorganismes/plantes. / Olive grove soils are subjected to harsh environmental pressures such as Mediterranean constraints and intensive agriculture practices. They require a great attention in the context of climate change. In coastal areas, osmotic and thermal stresses are intensified. Under these conditions of intensified pressure, significant changes in soil quality may occur and these changes can be mitigated by ‘sustainable’ farming practices. Thus, this thesis project aimed at evaluating, under coastal constraints, the impact of conventional and conservation practices on microbial activities involved in C and N cycles, and soil chemical characteristics. Depending on the distance from the sea, we evaluated i) functions of microbial communities of olive rhizosphere and phyllosphere, ii) the effect of tillage, Fabaceae co-culture, natural grass, OMW in Lebanon and France, iii) microbial responses to water stress under different practices. This work focused on microbial activities involved in the transformation of organic matter, whose quality was studied by solid state NMR 13C. Therefore, this work reported a ‘coastal print’ on microbial functioning and a likely reduction of CO2 emissions through the application of conservation practices. Therefore, it is necessary to develop, under olive tree culture intensification, practices ensuring stability of ecological functions supported by soils / microorganisms / plants relationships.

Diazotróficos de vida-livre podem ser encontradas associadas à filosfera, dermosfera e rizosfera das espécies vegetais. Alguns dados sugerem que a fixação biológica de N2 (FBN) por bactérias assimbióticas representa uma entrada importante de nitrogênio nos ecossistemas tropicais, variando com as espécies vegetais e nas diferentes partes da planta. O presente trabalho teve como objetivos estimar a quantidade de N2 fixado de forma assimbiótica na filosfera, dermosfera e rizosfera sobre a copa das espécies vegetais Guapira oposita e Euterpe edulis, e avaliar a diversidade das bactérias assimbióticas, através da análise do gene rRNA 16S, em uma Restinga ,em Ubatuba, SP. O estudo foi realizado no Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba, em épocas de baixa e alta pluviosidade. A atividade da nitrogenase foi determinada pela técnica de redução do acetileno e as concentrações de etileno foram determinadas por cromatografia gasosa. A diversidade de bactérias que habitam filosfera, dermosfera e solo foi acessada por pirosequenciamento da região V4 do gene rRNA 16S. A maior fixação de N foi observada na dermosfera de E. edulis nas duas épocas de coleta (175,1± 53,4 ng cm-2 h-1; 97,2 ± 21 ng cm-2 h-1), as taxas de fixação de N mais baixas foram observadas no solo. Na época de alta pluviosidade, a FBN na filosfera de G. oposita (52,0 ± 12 ng cm-2 h-1) foi significativamente maior do que a filosfera de E. edulis (3,6 ± 06 ng cm-2. h-1) e do que no mesmo compartimento mas em diferentes épocas de coleta (7,5 ± 1,3 ng cm-2 h-1). O valor do 15N foi maior no solo onde a fixação de N foi mais baixa. Na filosfera e na dermosfera, a relação C/N foi mais baixa quando a FBN foi mais alta. A FBN no solo e serrapilheira de restinga apresentou grande variação espacial, com locais de alta atividade. As 188629 sequências obtidas foram agrupadas em 16727 Unidades Taxonômicas Operacionais (UTOs), distribuídos em 35 filos. Os principais filos detectados foram Proteobacteria (38%) e Acidobacteria (12%). As classes Alphaproteobacteria e Gammaproteobacteria foram as mais abundantes nos três compartimentos. Potenciais fixadores de N foram detectados nas classes Alpha Beta e Gammaproteobacteria. A abundância de cianobacterias fixadoras de N na filosfera e na dermosfera foi baixa, indicando que outros diazotróficos também colonizam esses ambientes e contribuem com a FBN. / Free-living N2 fixing bacteria can be found associated with the phyllosphere, bark and rizosphere of the diferent plant species. Some data suggest that biological N2 fixation (BNF) by free-living bacteria represents an important input of nitrogen in tropical ecosystem, varying with the plant species and in different parts of the plant. This study aimed to estimate the amount of N2 fixed in the phyllosphere, bark and soil under the canopy of Guapira opposite and Euterpe edullis, and evaluate the diversity of bacteria through the sequencing of the 16S rRNA gene analysis, the phyllosphere, bark and soil in a Restinga area, Ubatuba, SP. The study was conducted in the Parque Estadual da Serra do Mar, Núcleo Picinguaba in seasons of low and high rainfall. Nitrogenase activity was determined by the acetylene reduction assay (ARA) and ethylene concentrations were determined by gas chromatography. The diversity of bacteria in the phyllosphere, bark and soil was accesed using pyrosequencing of the 16S rRNA V4 region. The bark of Euterpe edullis was higher at both sampling times (175,1±53,4 ng. cm-2. h-1, 97,2±21 ng. cm-2. h-1). The BNF rates were lower in soil. In high rainfall conditions, the BNF in the phyllosphere of Guapira opposite increased significantly (52,0±12 ng. cm-2. h-1) when compared with Euterpe edullis (3,6 ± 06 ng. cm-2. h-1) and Guapira opposite (7,5 ± 1,3 ng. cm-2. h-1) phyllosphere. The value of 15N was higher in the soil where the rates of FBN was lower. In the phyllosphere and bark, C/N was lower when BNF was higher. BNF in soil great spatial variation with areas of high activity. The 18.629 sequences obtained were grouped into 16.727 Operational Taxonomic Units (OTUs) distributed in 35 phyla. The main phyla Proteobacteria represented 38% of the OTUs and Acidobacteria 12% of the UTOs. The classes Alphaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the most abundant in the three compartmens. Alphaproteobacteria, Betaproteobacteria and Gammaproteobacteria were the main potential N-fixers. The abundance of nitrogen-fixing Cyanobacteria in the phyllosphere and bark was low, indicating that others diazotrophics also colonize these environments and contribute with BNF.

De nombreux et divers micro-organismes vivent dans les tissus interne et externe desfeuilles des plantes, la phyllosphère. Ils influencent de nombreux traits, les interactions biotiques,le flux d’énergie, la tolérance au stress de leur hôte et en fin de compte la valeur sélectivede leurs hôtes. Il a été montré que plusieurs traits quantitatifs de plantes structurentla communauté microbienne de la phyllosphère. Ainsi des Loci de ces traits quantitatifs(Quantitative Trait Loci QTL) liés à la structure de cette communauté étaient attendus.L’objectif principal de ce travail était de rechercher des régions génomiques chez le chêne(Quercus robur L.), dont l’effet se prolonge jusqu’au niveau de la communauté, influençantainsi le microbiote de la phyllosphère. Tout d’abord, nous avons étudié la composition etle réseau d’interactions du microbiote de la phyllosphère partant un intérêt particulier àErysiphe alphitoides, un agent pathogène majeur pour les chênes. Nous avons montré quel’infection par E. alphitoides est accompagnée par des changements dans la composition dela communauté fongique foliaire, mais pas dans le composition de la communauté bactérienne.Nous avons souligné certains partenaires d’interaction d’E. alphitoides et nous avonsmontré que le réseau d’interactions microbiennes, contrairement aux résultats précédents,été dominé par des interactions positives. Ensuite nous avons effectué une analyse QTLde descripteurs de la communauté microbienne dans une population de pleins frères. Nousavons trouvé 8 QTL correspondant à des traits de la communauté microbienne: compositionfongique et bactérienne, diversité fongique, pourcentage de Erysiphe alphitoides. Troisd’entre eux sont colocalisés avec un QTL de sensibilité à E. alphitoides, suggèrent un fortdéterminisme génétique de la résistance à l’oïdium chez Q. robur. Enfin, nous présentonsles résultats préliminaires d’une étude d’association génétique et discutons nos résultatsavec une perspective évolutive. / Numerous and various microorganisms inhabit inner and outer tissues of plant leaves, thephyllosphere. They influence many plant traits, biotic interactions, energy flux, host stresstolerance and ultimately the fitness of their hosts. Many plant quantitative traits wereshown to structure the phyllosphere microbial community. Hence quantitative trait loci(QTLs) linked to the structure of this community were expected. The main objective ofthis work was to search for genomic regions in oak (Quercus robur L.), whose effect extendsto the community level, influencing the phyllosphere microbiota. First, we studied thecomposition and the interaction network of oak phyllosphere microbiota with specific focuson Erysiphe alphitoides, a major biotrophic pathogen of oak. We showed that infection byE. alphitoides is accompanied by changes in the foliar fungal community composition butnot in the bacterial community composition. We highlighted likely interaction partners ofE. alphitoides and we showed that the complex microbial interaction network, in contrastto previous findings, was dominated by positive interactions. Next we performed QTLanalysis of microbial community descriptors in a full-sib mapping population of oak. Wefound 8 QTLs for microbial community traits: fungal and bacterial composition, fungaldiversity, and percentage of Erysiphe alphitoides reads. Three of these QTLs colocalizedwith a QTL for powdery mildew sensibility, suggesting for strong genetic determinism ofpowdery mildew resistance in Q. robur. Finally we present preliminary results of a geneticassociation study and discuss our findings within an evolutionary perspective.

La phyllosphère est l’habitat fourni par la partie foliaire des plantes. De nombreuses espèces microbiennes - pathogènes, saprophytes ou mutualistes des plantes - peuplent cet environnement. Ce compartiment microbien influence donc la dynamique et la structure des communautés végétales. L’objectif principal de cette thèse était d’étudier les effets potentiels du changement climatique sur la structure des assemblages fongiques de la phyllosphère des arbres forestiers, et sur la niche écologique des espèces fongiques pathogènes des arbres forestiers. Nous avons pour cela utilisé deux approches, i) l’étude de gradients altitudinaux et ii) la construction de modèles de niche bioclimatique.Les assemblages fongiques de la phyllosphère des arbres forestiers étant encore peu connus, nous avons dans un premier temps décrit leur diversité et quantifié leur variabilité spatiale à l’échelle d’une parcelle forestière.Nos résultats montrent que la phyllosphère d’un arbre forestier abrite quelques centaines d’espèces fongiques, avec quelques espèces dominantes et beaucoup d’espèces rares. Les facteurs structurant ces assemblages incluent à la fois des facteurs abiotiques et biotiques : la température apparaît comme la variable climatique la plus explicative le long d’un gradient altitudinal ; à l’échelle d’une parcelle, la proximité génétique entre arbres est plus déterminante que leur distance géographique.L’analyse des modèles de niche des champignons pathogènes forestiers à l’échelle de la France met en évidence des limitations climatiques, les pluies estivales étant une variable explicative importante.Toutefois, plusieurs espèces introduites occupent déjà la plus grande part de la distribution de leur hôte,sans limitation apparente par le climat. Les effets du changement climatique sur la plupart des pathogènes s’exerceront d’abord indirectement par des effets dépressifs très importants sur l’abondance de leurs arbres-hôtes. Seuls les pathogènes adaptés au biotope méditerranéen verraient leur impact s’accroitre. / Phyllosphere is the habitat provided by the leaves of living plants. Many microbial species -pathogens, saprophytes or mutualists of plants - inhabit this environment. These microbes therefore influence the dynamics and structure of plant communities. The main objective was to study the potential effects of climate change on the structure of phyllosphere fungal assemblages, and on the ecological niche of pathogenic fungal species of forest trees. We used two approaches, i) the study of altitudinal gradients and ii) the construction of bioclimatic niche models. Since phyllosphere fungal assemblages of forest trees are still poorly known, we first described their diversity and quantified their spatial variability at the scale of a forest stand.Our results show that the phyllosphere of a forest tree houses hundreds of fungal species, with few dominant species and many rare species. Factors structuring these assemblages include both abiotic and biotic factors: the temperature appears as the most explanatory variable along an elevation algradient. At the scale of a forest stand, the genetic proximity between trees is more important than the geographic distance. Analysis of the bioclimatic niche models of pathogenic fungi forest at the French scale highlights some climatic limitations, and the summer rainfall is an important explanatory variable. However, many introduced species already occupy the distribution of their host, without apparent climatic limitation. The effects of climate change on most pathogens will be exercised indirectly by very important depressive effects on the abundance of their host trees. Only pathogens adapted to the Mediterranean biotope would increase their impact.

<p dir="ltr">Plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) are specialized compounds produced in response to a range of insect herbivores and microbes, making them important in shaping tri-trophic interactions. However, despite being well-studied in the context of plant-insect coevolution, it is unclear how PSMs impact microbial communities associated with plants and the insect herbivores that feed on them. The overarching goal of this dissertation was to better understand how variation in plant defensive responses, particularly expression of PSMs, influences the composition and functional potential of microbial communities associated with plant tissues (roots and leaves) and insect herbivores. Monarchs (<i>Danaus plexippus</i>) and their milkweed hosts (<i>Asclepias spp.)</i> are well-studied for mechanisms of plant defense and insect counter defense, but little is known about the role of associated microbial communities in this iconic system. To address this knowledge gap, a combination of metabarcoding and metagenomics was used to characterize the taxonomic composition and functional gene profiles of bacterial communities associated with plant tissues (i.e., phyllosphere and rhizosphere) and monarch caterpillars fed on multiple milkweed species (<i>A. curassavica</i>, <i>A. syriaca</i>, and <i>A. tuberosa</i>). Findings show the composition of phyllosphere, rhizosphere, and monarch microbiomes vary across milkweed species in terms of diversity and relative abundance of bacterial taxa. Furthermore, phyllosphere and rhizosphere microbiomes were shown to have distinct functional gene profiles and presence of potential PSM metabolism genes that also varied across milkweed species. Rhizosphere microbiomes had a greater overall capacity for PSM metabolism compared to the phyllosphere, having more genes, and associated metabolic pathways involved in degradation or detoxification of known classes of PSMs. However, plant associated microbiomes were not generally affected by monarch feeding, evidenced by few changes in taxonomic composition or abundance of genes predicted to be involved in PSM metabolism. Interestingly, monarch microbiomes shared >90% of their taxa with their host plants, but there was little evidence of PSM metabolism genes present in functional gene profiles. Overall, this dissertation lays the foundation for understanding how PSMs shape all the microbial communities associated with monarchs and their milkweed hosts. Findings suggest plant defensive responses affect the assembly, functional potential and ultimately the evolution of plant and insect microbiomes.</p>