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.