Relationships of Bradyrhizobia from the LegumesApios americana and Desmodium glutinosum

摘要

Multilocus enzyme electrophoresis, partial 23S rRNA sequences, and nearly full-length 16S rRNA sequences all indicated high genetic similarity among root-nodule bacteria associated with Apios americana, Desmodium glutinosum, andAmphicarpaea bracteata, three common herbaceous legumes whose native geographic ranges in eastern North America overlap extensively. A total of 19 distinct multilocus genotypes (electrophoretic types [ETs]) were found among the 35 A. americana and 33 D. glutinosum isolates analyzed. Twelve of these ETs (representing 78% of all isolates) were either identical to ETs previously observed in A. bracteatapopulations, or differed at only one locus. Within both 23S and 16S rRNA genes, several isolates from A. americana and D. glutinosum were either identical to A. bracteataisolates or showed only single nucleotide differences. Growth rates and nitrogenase activities of A. bracteata plants inoculated with isolates from D. glutinosum were equivalent to levels found with native A. bracteata bacterial isolates, but none of the three A. americana isolates tested had high symbiotic effectiveness on A. bracteata. Phylogenetic analysis of both 23S and 16S rRNA sequences indicated that bothA. americana and D. glutinosum harbored rare bacterial genotypes similar to Bradyrhizobium japonicumUSDA 110. However, the predominant root nodule bacteria on both legumes were closely related to Bradyrhizobium elkanii.