Association of Bacterial Communities with Psychedelic Mushroom and Soil as Revealed in 16S rRNA Gene Sequencing

Microbial communities' resident in the mushroom fruiting body and the soil around it play critical roles in the growth and propagation of the mushroom. Among the microbial communities associated with psychedelic mushrooms and the rhizosphere soil, bacterial communities are considered vital since their presence greatly influences the health of the mushrooms. The present study aimed at finding the microbiota present in the psychedelic mushroom Psilocybe cubensis and the soil the mushroom inhabits. The study was conducted at two different locations in Kodaikanal, Tamil Nadu, India. The composition and structure of microbial communities in the mushroom fruiting body and the soil were deciphered. The genomes of the microbial communities were directly assessed. High-throughput amplicon sequencing revealed distinct microbial diversity in the mushroom and the related soil. The interaction of environmental and anthropogenic factors appeared to have a significant impact on the mushroom and soil microbiome. The most abundant bacterial genera were Ochrobactrum, Stenotrophomonas, Achromobacter, and Brevundimonas. Thus, the study advances the knowledge of the composition of the microbiome and microbial ecology of a psychedelic mushroom, and paves the way for in-depth investigation of the influence of microbiota on the mushroom, with special emphasis on the impact of bacterial communities on mushroom growth. Further studies are required for a deeper understanding of the microbial communities that influence the growth of P. cubensis mushroom.