Influence of Water Chemistry and Microbiome on Macrophyte Composition in Wild Rice Wetlands in NE Minnesota

Abstract

Abstract Wild rice (Zizania palustris) has significant cultural and ecological value in Minnesota and is the state grain. Over recent decades, a decline in wild rice abundance and distribution in the region has occurred due to environmental contamination, opportunistic species infestation, and habitat destruction. Considerable resources and effort have been invested in managing and restoring wild rice wetlands to improve wildlife habitat and opportunities for wild rice harvest. Monitoring these restoration efforts is essential to refine and optimize restoration practices. We hypothesize that changes in surface and porewater chemistry, as well as the water column microbial community in wild rice beds, affect the establishment of self-sustaining wild rice populations. Microbe-plant interactions are critical to nutrient uptake and greatly impact the fitness of aquatic macrophytes. Little investigation has been done on the environmental microbiome of wetlands in the NE Minnesota region. This study aims to characterize the bacterial community associated with the water column naturally occurring wild rice beds along with water quality and macrophyte taxa diversity. Study sites include wetlands with the presence of; self-sustaining wild rice, historical wild rice restoration activity (with and without success), and current restoration. Using a high throughput amplicon sequencing approach, we provide a holistic view of microorganisms associated water columns of wild rice wetlands, as well as wetlands dominated by competing vegetation. These results improve our understanding of microbial ecology in wild rice wetlands in Minnesota, which may be helpful in developing management strategies that promote restoration success.