Anthropogenic activities of industrialization, mining, and smelters have accumulated heavy metals (HM) in the ecosystem. HM-pollution leads to various toxic effects in plants, animals and humans but the effect on microbes in the ecosystem is still understudied; even fewer studies on microbes in plants growing in extreme weather and daylight conditions as the Arctics. Microbes, especially bacteria associated with plants play a vital role in sustaining the nutrition and biogeochemical cycles of the ecosystem. Any change in the composition of bacterial communities disrupts the ecological balance, thus affecting the health and survival of plants. The proposed research is a continued study on the long-term effects of HM-pollution on plant-bacterial communities in Arctic ecosystems, in a field study at Kevo subarctic research station (69°45’ N, 27°01’ E), University of Turku, Northern Finland. In the initial study, bacteria were isolated from pine leaves, lingonberry leaves and roots and the difference in composition of bacterial communities in HM-polluted plants compared to controls is being investigated using molecular techniques. The present grant application is to utilize this information to study the function of bacteria in mitigating HM-stress in plants using microcosm experiments. The HM-tolerant bacteria isolated from initial study will be inoculated to HM-stressed plants in controlled conditions, monitoring plant growth and physiological response of the plants with metatranscriptomics. The results will reveal HM-tolerant bacteria capable of mitigating stress effects in plants grown in HM-polluted environments. The proposed study advances scientific understanding of plant-microbe interactions mechanisms under environmental (abiotic) stresses. The study is essential for the development of ecofriendly, sustainable approaches using microbes enhancing agricultural productivity in HM-polluted arable lands and environmental restoration of industrial lands.

2024

2025