Leaf Traits Mediate Phyllosphere Bacterial Community Assembly and Their Role in Degrading Traffic-Derived Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Abstract
Transport emissions are a major source of urban polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), posing risks to human health. While plant leaves and their epiphytic microbes contribute to PAH degradation, how plant traits and environmental factors affect this process remains unclear. This study examined 20 tree species in Beijing’s traffic corridors to explore PAH enrichment on leaves and the structure of phyllospheric bacterial communities. Results show that leaf area, morphology, and sampling height significantly influenced bacterial community assembly. Normalized Stochasticity Ratio (NST) analysis indicated that deterministic processes dominate on medium-sized leaves (11.8–40.1 cm2), simple leaves, and those below 2.3 m or above 3 m in height, whereas stochastic factors prevail on nano leaves, compound leaves, and leaves at low-position (
Fields of Study & Subjects
Microbial bioremediation and biosurfactants
Toxic Organic Pollutants Impact
Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Microorganisms
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 2
- Pages
- 334–334
- Publication date
- 1 February 2026
- Language
- EN