BIO

Hello! My name is Ryan Potter, and I am from Clewiston, Florida. I am currently a sophomore at Florida State University majoring in Biological Sciences. I am interested in plant pathology and immunology and was excited to start my research project in Dr. Thoms lab in Fall of 2023.

Rhizosphere Immunity: Plants Differentiate Beneficial and Pathogenic Bacterial Growth

Abstract

Plant roots in soil are constantly surrounded by endless amounts of beneficial and pathogenic bacteria. Symbiotic bacterial interactions promoted by plants are necessary to achieve optimal development and growth. Pathogenic bacterial growth suppression is essential to maintain a healthy and optimal growth pattern for a plant. By analyzing the growth of bacterial fluorescence, I compared the growth of pathogenic and beneficial bacteria in Col0 plants. Through in planta experiments and data analysis, I determine that beneficial bacterial growth outcompetes pathogenic growth. I can conclude that plant hosts are able to distinguish between pathogenic and beneficial bacteria growing in the rhizosphere. Due to the plants ability to promote growth for beneficial bacteria, while preventing growth from pathogenic bacteria, there may be a difference in immune-elicited responses.

Keywords: plants, microbiology, immunity, immunology, rhizosphere