Jessica Bernardin, a post-doctoral researcher in the Department of Biological Sciences and a Boise State alum, recently published her article “Bacterial community function increases leaf growth in a pitcher plant experimental system” in the mSystems journal. Assistant Professor Leonora Bittleston also appeared as a co-author of the article.
Bernardin’s investigates the impact of functionally distinct bacterial communities on the growth and nutrient content of Sarracenia purpurea (pitcher plants). Using a manipulative experiment, her team inoculated sterile pitcher plants with three pre-assembled bacterial communities, analyzing their effects over eight weeks via physiological assays, metagenomics, and metatranscriptomics. Results showed that a community enriched in decomposition enzymes significantly increased leaf biomass. The study links specific bacterial functions, particularly chitinase activity, to enhanced plant growth, highlighting the importance of microbial community function in plant-microbe interactions. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of plant-microbe relationships and their ecological implications.