Intra-individual variation in leaf microbiota matches within-crown environmental heterogeneity and promotes tree performance

Plant-associated microbial communities exhibit pronounced specificity across biological and spatial scales. While the patterns and accompanied functions have been well documented across and within plant species, the functional importance of intra-individual variation remains underexplored. Particularly in trees that experience strong environmental gradients within single crowns, stratum-specific microbiota may significantly contribute to plant performance. We experimentally tested whether variation in microbiota within the crown of Quercus robur is related to host performance. In mesocosm experiments, we transferred microbial communities derived from sun and shade leaves to germ-reduced clonal individuals of the same species and applied UV radiation simulating conditions that matched or mismatched the origin of the microbial inoculum (environmental matching). Our results demonstrate that matching microbiota-environment combinations increased plant performance compared to mismatching combinations. We infer that pronounced intra-individual variation of leaf-associated microbial communities not only reflects environmental heterogeneity along canopy strata but is functionally relevant for the plant host.