Diversity patterns of biotic communities from teasel (Dipsacus fullonum L.) phytotelmata through DNA metabarcoding

Phytotelmata are water-filled cavities formed by plants, and one of the few European examples is proved by the fuller’s teasel (Dipsacus fullonum L.; Caprifoliaceae), which creates small temporary water bodies in the leaves axils along its stem. Modern techniques like DNA metabarcoding offer great opportunities to study and catalog biodiversity, this approach has not been used on teasel’s phytotelmata. This study is aimed in filling this gap providing a first insight into teasel’s phytotelmata biological communities and study their alpha and beta diversity patterns. Phytotelmata were sampled from plants in Italy and subjected to metabarcoding of the 16S and 18S markers, targeting Bacteria and Eukaryotes, respectively. The teasel’s phytotelmata were found to host a diverse community of Bacteria and Eukaryotes, and their diversity was mostly explained by the plant location. Beta diversity was dominated by nestedness when comparing phytotelmata from the same plant, while turnover was more important in describing beta diversity across locations, suggesting that local communities are the most important factors structuring phytotelmata biodiversity. This study proves how the study of this peculiar habitat, coupled with molecular techniques will be a useful and accessible model to investigate ecological processes.