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309 results for “Plant roots”

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dryad36/100

Belowground plant competition: Uncoupling root response strategies of peas

Belowground plant competition was shown to induce varying responses, from increases to decreases in root biomass allocation or in directional root placement. Such inconsistencies could result from the fact that root allocation and directional growth were seldom studied together, even though they might represent different strategies. Moreover, variations in belowground responses might be due to different size hierarchies between plants, but this hypothesis was not studied previously. In a greenhouse rhizobox experiment, we examined the way both root allocation and directional root placement of Pisum sativum are affected by the size and density of Festuca glauca neighbors, and by nutrient distribution. We found that root allocation of P. sativum increased with the density and size of F. glauca. In contrast, directional root placement was unaffected by neighbor size and either increased toward or away from neighbors when nutrients were patchily or uniformly distributed, respectively. These results demonstrate that directional root placement under competition is contingent on the distribution of soil resources. Interestingly, our results suggest that root allocation and directional placement might be uncoupled strategies that simultaneously provide stress tolerance and spatial responsiveness to neighbors, thus highlighting the importance of measuring both when studying belowground plant competition.

opencc-zeroMay 2024View details →

zenodo36/100

Data and R code used in Hennecke et al. "Plant species richness and the root economics space drive soil fungal communities"

To investigate how plant diversity and root traits relate to soil fungal communities, in 2021 we collected trait data from plots in the Jena Experiment (https://the-jena-experiment.de; funded by the DFG FOR 5000) and characterized fungal communities by sequencing, respiration and lipid fatty acid quantification.

opencc-by-4.0Apr 2024View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Host genotype and age shape the leaf and root microbiomes of a wild perennial plant

Bacteria living on and in leaves and roots influence many aspects of plant health, so the extent of a plant's genetic control over its microbiota is of great interest to crop breeders and evolutionary biologists. Laboratory-based studies, because they poorly simulate true environmental heterogeneity, may misestimate or totally miss the influence of certain host genes on the microbiome. Here we report a large-scale field experiment to disentangle the effects of genotype, environment, age and year of harvest on bacterial communities associated with leaves and roots of Boechera stricta (Brassicaceae), a perennial wild mustard. Host genetic control of the microbiome is evident in leaves but not roots, and varies substantially among sites. Microbiome composition also shifts as plants age. Furthermore, a large proportion of leaf bacterial groups are shared with roots, suggesting inoculation from soil. Our results demonstrate how genotype-by-environment interactions contribute to the complexity of microbiome assembly in natural environments.

opencc-zeroDec 2015View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Plant-type dominates fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry across China: a meta-analysis

Aim: Fine roots play an important role in biogeochemical cycling in terrestrial ecosystems. However, our understanding of large scale biogeographic patterns and drivers of fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry is extremely limited. Location: China. Methods: We compiled data for fine-root carbon (C), nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) concentrations at 165 sites across China to explore large-scale biogeographic patterns and drivers of fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry. Results: The geometric means of fine-root C, N, and P concentrations were 448.81 mg g-1, 10.73 mg g-1, and 0.9 mg g-1, respectively, whereas C:N, C:P and N:P ratios were 41.84, 508.32 and 11.73, respectively. The fine-root elemental concentrations and their ratios varied widely among plant groups and biomes, and showed clear latitudinal and longitudinal trends, as a consequence of differences in climate, soil and plant-type. However, plant-type was the largest contributor to the total variance in fine-root C, N, and P and their ratios compared to climate factors or soil features. Main conclusions: The data reveal the existence of broad biogeographic patterns of fine-root C:N:P stoichiometry in China. These results advance our knowledge about the biogeochemical cycling of fine roots.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Persistence of plant-mediated microbial soil legacy effects in soil and inside roots

Plant-soil feedbacks are shaped by microbial legacies that plants leave in the soil. We tested the persistence of these legacies after subsequent colonization by the same or other plant species. Soil fungal legacies were detectable for months, but the current plant effect on fungi amplified in time. Contrary, in bacterial communities, legacies faded away rapidly and bacteria communities were influenced strongly by the current plant. However, both fungal and bacterial legacies were conserved inside the roots of the current plant species and their composition significantly correlated with plant growth. Hence, microbial soil legacies present at the time of plant establishment play a vital role in shaping plant growth even when these legacies have faded away in the soil due the growth of the current plant species. We conclude that soil microbiome legacies are reversible and versatile, but that they can create plant-soil feedbacks via altering the endophytic community acquired during early ontogeny.

opencc-zeroAug 2021View details →

dryad36/100

Data for the article: Coupling of leaf elemental traits with root fungal community composition reveals a plant resource acquisition strategy in a desert ecosystem

Purpose: Plant-associated microbes enhance nutrient access and stress tolerance of the host species, and therefore, are crucial for plant traits and resource strategies. However, the links between aboveground plant traits and belowground microbes related to plant resource strategies under stressful conditions remain poorly understood. Methods: We tested the relationships between leaf traits linked to water (carbon isotopic composition, δ13C) and nutrient use (elemental concentrations and stoichiometry) with microbial compositions in roots and rhizospheres of two dominant species (Artemisia ordosica and Leymus secalinus) in the Mu Us Desert, northern China. Results: L. secalinus exhibited higher Mg and Mn concentrations, N:P ratios, stoichiometric flexibility, and root fungi:bacteria ratios, but lower foliar K and Ca concentrations and δ13C values than A. ordosica. The leaf N:P of L. secalinus increased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios, whereas the leaf N:P of A. ordosica decreased with the root fungi:bacteria ratios. The plant elemental levels (P, N, K, Ca, Mn, and δ13C) of L. secalinus but not A. ordosica were significantly related to their root fungal composition. Additionally, the random forest model identified four key fungal families in predicting leaf elemental traits for both plant species. Conclusion: The results suggested tight coupling and coordination between leaf elemental traits and root microbial compositions (especially fungal communities) related to plant resource acquisition strategies. By regulating aboveground and belowground feedback loops through trait flexibility and root microbial compositions, the studied plant species can sustain their resource strategies under stressful environmental conditions.

opencc-zeroNov 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Mycorrhizal fungi alter root exudation to cultivate a beneficial microbiome for plant growth

Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi traditionally form symbioses with most plant species. Although AM fungi have critical effects on microbial communities, the pathways showing how AM fungi shape rhizosphere bacterial communities and their functions are rarely explored. Through three systematic experiments, AM fungi-bacteria interactions were first investigated in the rhizosphere of Lotus japonicus, then the interactions were confirmed by a second experiment with wild-type and a mycorrhiza-defective mutant ljcbx of L. japonicus. The mechanisms were presented by adding core bacteria and AM fungi to the plant rhizosphere with the third experiment. We found that AM fungi-bacteria interactions enhanced host plant growth and identified a core bacterial group that uniquely enhanced host plant growth. Adding core bacteria and AM fungi promoted host growth and nutrient acquisition compared to adding AM fungi or core bacteria independently. Allelopathic substances secreted by AM fungal colonizing host roots to recruit the rhizosphere bacteria were detected by the multi-omics joint analysis, showing that arachidonic acid was the main allelopathic substance that affected AM fungi–bacteria interactions. Our findings provide direct evidence that mycorrhizal infection simulated root exudation, such as arachidonic acid, recruited a beneficial microbiome to the host rhizosphere, increasing plant growth and soil nutrient turnover.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Data for: Plant roots fuel tropical soil animal communities

Belowground life relies on plant litter, while its linkage to living roots had long been understudied, and remains unknown in the tropics. Here, we analysed the response of 30 soil animal groups to root trenching and litter removal in rainforest and plantations in Sumatra, and found that roots are similarly important to soil fauna as litter. Trenching effects were stronger in soil than in litter, with an overall decrease in animal abundance in rainforest by 42% and in plantations by 30%. Litter removal little affected animals in soil layers, but decreased the total abundance by 60% in rainforest and rubber plantations but not in oil palm plantations. Litter and root effects on animal group abundances were explained by body size or vertical distribution. Our study quantifies principle carbon pathways in soil food webs under tropical land use, providing the basis for mechanistic modelling and ecosystem-friendly management of tropical soils.

opencc-zeroDec 2022View details →

dryad36/100

Plant growth strategy determines the magnitude and direction of drought-induced changes in root exudates in subtropical forests

Root exudates are an important pathway for plant-microbial interactions and are highly sensitive to climate change. However, how extreme drought affects root exudates and the main components, as well as species-specific differences in response magnitude and direction, are poorly understood. In this study, root exudation rates of total carbon (C) and its components (e.g., sugar, organic acid, and amino acid) were measured under the control and extreme drought treatments (i.e., 70% throughfall reduction) by in situ collection of four tree species with different growth rates in a subtropical forest. We also quantified soil properties, root morphological traits, and mycorrhizal infection rates to examine the driving factors underlying variations in root exudation. Our results showed that extreme drought significantly decreased root exudation rates of total C, sugar, and amino acid by 17.8%, 30.8%, and 35.0%, respectively, but increased root exudation rate of organic acid by 38.6%, which were largely associated with drought-induced changes in tree growth rates, root morphological traits, and mycorrhizal infection rates. Specifically, trees with relatively high growth rates were more responsive to drought for root exudation rates compared to those with relatively low growth rates, which were closely related to root morphological traits and mycorrhizal infection rates. These findings highlight the importance of plant growth strategy in mediating drought-induced changes in root exudation rates. The co-ordinations among root exudation rates, root morphological traits, and mycorrhizal symbioses in response to drought could be incorporated into land surface models to improve the prediction of climate change impacts on rhizosphere C dynamics in forest ecosystems.

opencc-zeroMar 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Effects of long-term mowing on leaf- and root-associated bacterial community structures are linked to functional traits in 11 plant species from a temperate steppe

<ol> <li>Long-term mowing can cause morphological stuntedness of plants, thus reducing grassland productivity and exacerbating grassland degradation. Although plant microbiomes can enhance plant resistance against disturbance, considerable uncertainty exists regarding how mowing and mowing-induced plant trait plasticity affect plant microbiomes in natural grasslands. </li> <li>Here we examined the responses of leaf-/root-associated bacterial (LAB/RAB) communities of 11 dominant herbaceous perennials (6 replicates per species) to a 17-year mowing treatment in a temperate grassland. We also measured leaf/root physiological and morphological traits and analyzed the relationships among mowing practice, bacterial community structures, and leaf/root trait parameters. </li> <li>We found that both leaf and root functional traits showed interspecific variations (variations across different plant species), while only the leaf traits exhibited intraspecific variation (treatment-induced variations within plant species) between the treatments. Similarly, the LAB community structure was more sensitive to mowing but less influenced by host species identity, compared to the RAB community. The RAB community structure was primarily shaped by host species identity, while mowing was a secondary influencing factor. </li> <li> The different patterns of LAB and RAB communities in response to mowing could be specifically explained by the inter-/intraspecific variations of the related leaf and root traits. The LAB community was strongly correlated with the leaf traits which exhibited mowing-induced plasticity (intraspecific variation), with the correlations with nitrogen resorption efficiency and aboveground dry weight being the greatest. The root traits were important indicators of bacterial community structure in the root compartment across the hosts, rather than between the treatments. Root tissue density showed the strongest interspecific variation, and was identified as an overwhelming driver of the RAB community. The shifts in LAB/RAB communities under mowing were largely attributed to the increased proportions of Actinobacteria. The high mowing sensitivity of the LAB community was associated with the enrichment of soil-derived Actinobacteria in leaves under mowing. Actinobacteria were also the main keystone taxa in the bacterial community networks under mowing. </li> <li>Our results demonstrate that the magnitude of plant-associated microbial community response to long-term mowing is plant compartment- and trait-variation-dependent, and advance our understanding of the leaf/root microbiome-trait relationships in complex plant communities.</li> </ol>

opencc-zeroApr 2023View details →

dryad36/100

Data from: Root-exuded benzoxazinoids can alleviate negative plant-soil feedbacks

Plants can suppress the growth of other plants by modifying soil properties. These negative plant-soil feedbacks are often species-specific, suggesting that some plants possess resistance strategies. However, the underlying mechanisms remain largely unknown. Here, we investigated if and how benzoxazinoids, a class of dominant secondary metabolites that are exuded into the soil by maize and other cereals, influence plant-soil feedbacks. We find that three out of five tested crop species suppress maize (Zea mays) performance via negative plant-soil feedbacks relative to the mean across species. This effect is partially alleviated by the capacity of maize plants to produce benzoxazinoids. Soil complementation with purified benzoxazinoids is sufficient to restore the protective effect for benzoxazinoid-deficient mutants. Sterilization and re-inoculation experiments suggest that benzoxazinoid-mediated protection acts via changes in soil biota. Substantial variation of the protective effect between experiments and soil types illustrates that its magnitude is context-dependent. In summary, our study demonstrates that plant secondary metabolites can confer resistance to negative plant-soil feedbacks. These findings expand the functional repertoire of plant secondary metabolites and reveal a mechanism by which plants can resist negative soil feedbacks. The uncovered phenomenon may represent a promising avenue to stabilize plant performance in crop rotations in the future.

opencc-zeroSep 2023View details →

dryad36/100