PCA and NMDS Multivariate Analyses of Phyllosphere Bacteria in
Leaf Samples from Different Regions
PCA indicated that the microorganism composition of DZ and BS samples
was similar, likely due to their geographical proximity to each other.
The samples from WN and WZS were clearly distinguishable from each
other, except for the WZS_3 sample, which was more dispersed but still
close to clustering (Figure 3). These results indicated that bacterial
communities differed significantly between the four regions, which
suggests that different geographical locations are influential in
accounting for the variation in community composition and structure of
phyllosphere bacteria in rubber tree leaves.
NMDS showed that, except for the WZS_3 sample, samples that had close
geographical proximity or similar climates shared more similarities in
composition, given the clustering found (Figure 3). For example, the DZ
and BS sites are a short distance apart, and both have a dry climate,
whereas the WN and WZS sites are nearer to each other and have a wet
climate. These results further suggest that different geographical
locations or climate types can lead to the separation of distinct
microbial communities, and that samples with geographical proximity or
similar climate types can generate prominent clustering results.