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309 results for “Plant roots”
Data from: Effect of plant root symbionts on performance of native woody species in competition with an invasive grass in multispecies microcosms
The majority of terrestrial plants form mutualistic associations with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and rhizobia (i.e. nitrogen fixing bacteria). Understanding these associations has important implications for ecological theory and for restoration practice. Here we tested whether the presence of AMF and rhizobia influence the performance of native woody plants invaded by a non-native grass in experimental microcosms. We planted eight plant species (i.e. Acacia acuminata, A. microbotrya, Eucalyptus loxophleba subsp. loxophleba, E. astringens, Calothamnus quadrifidus, Callistemon phoeniceus, Hakea lissocarpha and H. prostrata) in microcosms of field-conditioned soil with and without addition of AMF and rhizobia in a fully factorial experimental design. After seedling establishment, we seeded half the microcosms with an invasive grass Bromus diandrus. We measured shoot and root biomass of native plants and Bromus, and on roots, the percentage colonization by AMF, number of rhizobia-forming nodules and number of proteaceous root clusters. We found no effect of plant root symbionts or Bromus addition on performance of myrtaceous, and as predicted, proteaceous species as they rely little or not at all on AMF and rhiozbia. Soil treatments with AMF and rhiozbia had a strong positive effect (i.e. larger biomass) on native legumes (A. microbotrya and A. acuminata). However, the beneficial effect of root symbionts on legumes became negative (i.e. lower biomass and less nodules) if Bromus was present, especially for one legume, i.e. A. acuminata, suggesting a disruptive effect of the invader on the mutualism. We also found a stimulating effect of Bromus on root nodule production in A. microbotrya and AMF colonization in A. acuminata which could be indicative of legumes' increased resource acquisition requirement, i.e. for nitrogen and phosphorus, respectively, in response to the Bromus addition. We have demonstrated the importance of measuring belowground effects because the aboveground effects gave limited indication of the effects occuring belowground.
Data from: Plant host and soil origin influence fungal and bacterial assemblages in the roots of woody plants
Microbial communities in plant roots provide critical links between above and belowground processes in terrestrial ecosystems. Variation in root communities has been attributed to plant host effects and microbial host preferences, as well as to factors pertaining to soil conditions, microbial biogeography and the presence of viable microbial propagules. To address hypotheses regarding the influence of plant host and soil biogeography on root fungal and bacterial communities we designed a trap-plant bioassay experiment. Replicate Populus, Quercus, and Pinus plants were grown in three soils originating from alternate field sites. Fungal and bacterial community profiles in the root of each replicate were assessed through multiplex 454 amplicon sequencing of 4 loci (i.e. 16S, SSU, ITS, LSU rDNA). Soil origin had a larger effect on fungal community composition than did host species, but the opposite was true for bacterial communities. Populus hosted the highest diversity of rhizospheric fungi and bacteria. Root communities on Quercus and Pinus were more similar to each other than to Populus. Overall, fungal root symbionts appear to be more constrained by dispersal and biogeography than by host availability.
Data from: Plant geographic origin and phylogeny as potential drivers of community structure in root-inhabiting fungi
1. Root-inhabiting fungal communities, including mutualists and antagonists, influence host plant performance, and can potentially shape plant community composition. However, there is uncertainty about how root-inhabiting fungal communities are structured, and if fungal community characteristics are significant predictors of host plant abundance. 2. In this study, we first assessed how root-inhabiting fungal communities were structured in relation to the phylogeny and geographic origins (native vs exotic) of their host plants in an old-field community. In addition, we took into consideration the spatial arrangements (i.e. physical locations) of the individual host plants. We then tested if the relative abundances of pathogenic and beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi could predict host plant abundances. 3. We found that host plant phylogeny was an important factor in structuring the whole fungal community, irrespective of host plant origin. Furthermore, the spatial arrangements of individual host plants were a strong predictor of AM fungal community structure. Host plant phylogeny and spatial arrangements appeared to similarly affect the structure of pathogenic fungal communities. No distinct differences were observed between native and exotic plant species in fungal community characteristics. The relative abundances of AM and pathogenic fungi were not significant predictors for observed abundances of their host plants. 4. Synthesis. Host plant phylogeny and spatial arrangements can structure naturally occurring root-inhabiting fungal communities. The absence of distinct differences in fungal community composition, including pathogens, in exotic and native plants suggests long residence times and the consequent naturalization of exotic species in the region, allowing for the establishment of similar plant-microbial interactions between native and exotic species.
Case study data 2022: The effects of dune plant roots on loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) nest success
<p>Sand dunes are supported by the extensive root systems of dune plants that anchor the dune and protect it from erosion. While all plants that grow on the dunes support their structure, invasive plants can outcompete native and non-native dune plants for resources such as nutrients, sunlight, and space to grow. During the summer, sea turtles lay nests on beaches and near dunes; however, their eggs and hatchlings are at risk of destruction and entrapment by dune plant root penetration. Dune plant roots can penetrate sea turtle nest cavities, thus decreasing the hatching success of the eggs and the emergence success of the hatchlings. The purpose of this project was to determine how plant roots impact loggerhead sea turtle (<em>Caretta caretta)</em> nest success on Casey Key, Sarasota County, Florida, USA, and to assess which factors affect plant root invasion. We predicted (1) a negative impact on loggerhead sea turtle nests by plant roots, (2) invasive plants have a larger impact than native or non-native plants, and (3) the distance from the dune affects whether roots will penetrate the nest. Data from nests excavated in 2022 were used to determine the extent of root penetration and species of plants were documented. Statistical models were used to identify which variables had the greatest effect on root penetration. The results of this study conclude that root presence in the nest cavity decreases both hatch and emergence success of hatchlings within the nest and that nests closer to the dune are more likely to have a higher proportion of root damage and lower hatch and emergence success. This study helps advance understanding of how and if invasive plants affect sea turtle reproductive success and helps inform coastal management aimed at conserving threatened loggerhead populations.</p>
Root traits and soil microorganisms as drivers of plant-soil feedbacks within the sub-arctic tundra meadow
<p>Plant-soil feedback (PSF) can influence the composition of various soil microorganisms (antagonistic and mutualistic), which can have reciprocal effects on plants. At the same time, we do not understand the effects of fine root traits in moderating microbial-driven PSF. We therefore conducted a greenhouse study to aid in understanding the relationship between root traits, soil community composition (PLFAs and high-throughput sequencing data) and plant-soil feedback (PSF). These data therefore include datasets with fine root traits, raw sequence reads from high-throughput sequencing for soil fungi, phospholipid fatty acid data and biomass data after the plant-soil feedback study.</p>
Data linked to publication entitled "Biochar derived from Acai agroindustry waste enhances nutritional status and biomass in young Eucalyptus urophylla plants: Evidence connected to root development and leaf performance"
<p>Data linked to publication entitled "Biochar derived from Acai agroindustry waste enhances nutritional status and biomass in young Eucalyptus urophylla plants: Evidence connected to root development and leaf performance"</p>
PRMI: A dataset of minirhizotron images for diverse plant root study
<p>Understanding a plant's root system architecture (RSA) is crucial for a variety of plant science problem domains including sustainability and climate adaptation. Minirhizotron (MR) technology is a widely-used approach for phenotyping RSA non-destructively by capturing root imagery over time. Precisely segmenting roots from the soil in MR imagery is a critical step in studying RSA features. In this paper, we introduce a large-scale dataset of plant root images captured by MR technology. In total, there are over 72K RGB root images across six different species including cotton, papaya, peanut, sesame, sunflower, and switchgrass in the dataset. The images span a variety of conditions including varied root age, root structures, soil types, and depths under the soil surface. All of the images have been annotated with weak image-level labels indicating whether each image contains roots or not. The image-level labels can be used to support weakly supervised learning in plant root segmentation tasks. In addition, 63K images have been manually annotated to generate pixel-level binary masks indicating whether each pixel corresponds to root or not. These pixel-level binary masks can be used as ground truth for supervised learning in semantic segmentation tasks. By introducing this dataset, we aim to facilitate the automatic segmentation of roots and the research of RSA with deep learning and other image analysis algorithms.</p>
FIGURE. Thalictrum spiristylum (= T. atriplex) in the wild (Ninglang county in northwestern Yunnan, China). A. Habitat. B. Habit (flowering plant). C. Habit (fruiting plant). D. Roots. E. Portion of stem. F. Leaf (left: adaxial side; right: abaxial side). G. Leaflet (adaxial side). H. Portion of inflorescence. I. Flower. J. Sepals (adaxial side). K. Stamens. L. Carpels. M. Portion of infructescence. N. Aggregate fruits (immature). O. Achenes (immature). Photographed by Y.P. Zeng. in Thalictrum spiristylum (Ranunculaceae), described from northwestern Yunnan, China, is merged with T. atriplex
FIGURE. Thalictrum spiristylum (= T. atriplex) in the wild (Ninglang county in northwestern Yunnan, China). A. Habitat. B. Habit (flowering plant). C. Habit (fruiting plant). D. Roots. E. Portion of stem. F. Leaf (left: adaxial side; right: abaxial side). G. Leaflet (adaxial side). H. Portion of inflorescence. I. Flower. J. Sepals (adaxial side). K. Stamens. L. Carpels. M. Portion of infructescence. N. Aggregate fruits (immature). O. Achenes (immature). Photographed by Y.P. Zeng.
Data from: Invasion-induced root-fungal disruptions alter plant water and nitrogen economies
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Despite widespread evidence that biological invasion influences both the biotic and abiotic soil environments, the extent to which these two pathways underpin the effects of invasion on plant traits and performance is unknown. Leveraging a long-term (14-yr) field experiment, we show that an allelochemical-producing invader affects plants through biotic mechanisms, altering the soil fungal community composition, with no apparent shifts in soil nutrient availability. Changes in belowground fungal communities resulted in high costs of nutrient uptake for native perennials and a shift in plant traits linked to their water and nutrient use efficiencies. Some plants in the invaded community compensate for the disruption of nutritional symbionts and reduced nutrient provisioning by sanctioning more nitrogen to photosynthesis and expending more water, which demonstrates a trade-off in trait investment. For the first time, we show that the disruption of belowground nutritional symbionts can drive plants toward alternative regions of their trait space in order to maintain water and nutrient economics.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Effects of soil conditioning, root and shoot litter addition interact to determine the intensity of plant-soil feedback (dataset)
<p>Plant-soil feedback (PSF) is recognized as an important mechanism shaping plant communities and determining plant abundance and coexistence. Under natural conditions, plants affect the outcome of plant-soil interactions simultaneously by conditioning the soil by living roots and by litter inputs into the soil. However, most experimental studies only focus on one of the pathways, which limits our understanding of PSF in the field. </p> <p>Here, we simultaneously explored the effect of soil conditioning by living roots and of root and shoot litter addition on the performance of seven <em>Impatiens</em> species grown in a two-phase garden experiment. </p> <p>Soil conditioning negatively affected plant performance and the effect was at least partly explained by nutrient depletion. Root litter addition affected plant performance negatively and the results suggest that biotic effects such as pathogen transmission via the root litter played a role. The effects of root litter addition were more pronounced in control soil which, contrary to the conditioned soil, supposedly did not accumulate pathogens during the conditioning phase. Shoot litter addition increased soil nutrient levels, but had no impact on plant performance. However, presence of shoot litter aggravated the negative effects of root litter, probably due to increased amounts of nutrients available for soil biota and thus their faster growth and intensified effect on the plants. </p> <p><span></span></p> <p>Overall, our study suggests that root and shoot litter have contrasting roles in plant-soil interactions and understanding their separate and interactive effects together with effects of soil conditioning is crucial for assessing the complexity of PSF.</p>
Data for: Effects of nutrient heterogeneity on root foraging and plant growth at the individual and community level
<p>Plants can respond to heterogeneous nutrient distribution through selective root placement to enhance nutrient uptake. It is believed that nutrient heterogeneity can better promote plant growth than homogeneous nutrient distribution, but comprehensive analyses are relatively few. We meta-analyzed the data from 131 comparative studies and synthesized the effects of nutrient heterogeneity on root foraging and plant growth, and examined the roles of patch scale and contrast. Plant responses to nutrient heterogeneity was phylogenetically conserved, and the response in shoot biomass was more correlated with the response in root biomass than with root foraging precision. Root precision depended on competition status, and plants in interspecific competition had lower precision. Community-level responses to nutrient heterogeneity were more significant than individual-level responses. With increasing patch scale, root foraging precision declined, while overall shoot and root responses of individuals increased. Moderate patch contrast significantly increased root responses compared to low and high patch contrast. Our results indicate that plants optimize nutrient acquisition from heterogeneous patches mainly through increasing root growth rate and exploit nutrients more effectively at the community than individual level. Patch attribute mediation of nutrient heterogeneity effects on plants may help design fertilization practices to promote productivity and conserve biodiversity. </p>
Divergent nitrogen and phosphorus allocation strategies in terrestrial plant leaves and fine roots: a global meta-analysis
<p><span>The quantification of the allocation of nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) among plant organs is essential to improve our understanding of plant growth, life-history strategies, and ecosystem nutrient and energy cycles. However, allocation strategies of N and P between terrestrial plant leaves and fine roots are unclear. </span></p> <p><span>Here, we compiled a global dataset comprising 807 terrestrial plant species to analyze the stoichiometric scaling of N and P between leaves and fine roots across species, families, plant groups, biomes, and locations. </span></p> <p><span>We found that N and P, and N:P ratios manifest different scaling exponents (α-values) between leaves and fine roots. Specifically, overall α<sub>N</sub> and α<sub>P</sub> were >1 </span><span>and </span><span><1</span><span>, respectively, and </span><span>α</span><span><sub>N</sub>:P</span><span> = 1, indicating a higher proportional increase of N to fine roots and P to leaves. However, there were differences in α<sub>N</sub>, α<sub>P</sub>, and α<sub>N:P</sub> among major species, families, plant groups, biomes, and locations. In addition, α<sub>N </sub>and α<sub>N</sub>:P increased with latitude; there was no clear trend for α<sub>P</sub>. Mean annual temperature accounted for the greatest proportion of variation in αN, whereas soil total P accounted for the greatest proportion of variation in α<sub>P</sub> and αN:P.</span></p> <p><span>Synthesis. Our results demonstrate a divergent N and P allocation strategy between leaves and fine roots in terrestrial plants. This study improves our understanding of the effects of the environment (including changes in global climate, and life history strategies) on nutrient allocation patterns between these two important plant organs.</span></p>
Plant herbivore interactions: Combined effect of ground water level, root vole grazing and sedge silicification
<p>1. Accumulation of silica (Si) by plants can driven by (1) herbivore pressure (and therefore, plant-herbivore interactions) (2) geo-hydrological cycles or (3) a combination of (1) and (2), with (1-3) possibly affecting Si concentration with a 1-year delay.</p> <p>2. To identify the relative significance of (1-3) we analysed the concentration of Si in fibrous tussock sedge (<em>Carex appropinquata</em>), the population density of the root vole (Microtus oeconomus) and the ground water level, over 11 years.</p> <p>3. The largest influence of autumn Si concentration in leaves (Sileaf) was the level of the current year's ground water table, which was positive and accounted for 13.3% of its variance. The previous year's vole population density was weakly positively correlated with Sileaf and alone explained 9.5% of its variance.</p> <p>4. The only variable found to have a positive, significant effect on autumn Si concentration in rhizomes (Sirhiz) was the current year spring water level explaining as much as 60.9% of its variance.</p> <p>5. We conclude that the changes in Si concentration in fibrous tussock sedge are predominantly driven by hydrology, with vole population dynamics being secondary.</p> <p>6. Our results provide only partial support for the existence of plant-herbivore interactions, as we did not detect the significant effects of Si tussock concentration on the vole density dynamics. This was mainly due to low level of silification of sedges, which was insufficient to impinge herbivores.</p> <p>7. Future studies on plant-herbivore interactions should therefore aim at disentangling whether anti-herbivore protection is dependent on threshold values of herbivore population dynamics. Furthermore, studies on Si accumulation should focus on the effect of water-mediated Si availability.</p>
Data from: Root inoculation with beneficial soil microbes enhances indirect plant defenses induced by insect feeding and egg deposition
<p>Plants can respond to insect egg deposition by emitting oviposition-induced plant volatiles (OIPVs) recruiting parasitoids. The recruitment of carnivore insects in response to egg deposition is considered an indirect defense strategy that is widespread in the plant kingdom. In recent years, there has been increasing evidence showing that microbial colonization can influence the strength of plant responses to insect herbivory, yet no information is available on how beneficial microbes modulate indirect defenses induced by insect egg deposition. In this work, we evaluated the effects of inoculation with the beneficial soil fungus <em>Trichoderma harzianum</em> strain T22 on a tritrophic system consisting of tomato, the southern green stink bug <em>Nezara viridula</em> and its associated egg parasitoid <em>Trissolcus basalis</em>. We used Y-tube olfactometer assays to evaluate the behavioral responses of the parasitoids to OIPVs emitted by plants colonized with beneficial soil microbes. We also used gas chromatography coupled with mass spectrometry (GC-MS) to investigate how root inoculation with <em>T. harzianum</em> T22 affects the chemical composition of induced plant volatiles. 3. In olfactometer assays, we found that root inoculation with <em>T.</em> <em>harzianum</em> T22 enhanced the attraction of the egg parasitoid towards tomato plants induced by <em>N. viridula</em> feeding and oviposition activities. In particular, the egg parasitoid preferred OIPVs emitted by tomato plants previously inoculated with <em>T. harzianum</em> T22 over OIPVs emitted by non-inoculated plants. Furthermore, chemical analysis showed that root inoculation with <em>T. harzianum</em> T22 resulted in changes in the composition of OIPVs, which was consistent with the behavioral observations. Among the compounds that strongly contribute to the chemical differences between OIPVs from non-inoculated and inoculated plants, chemical analysis identified green leaf volatiles ((Z)-3-hepten-1-ol, (E,E)-2,4-hexadienal), along with terpenoids (terpinen 4-ol, α-tujene and δ-elemene). 4. Taken together our results indicate that beneficial soil microbes enhance indirect plant defenses induced by feeding and oviposition, broadening our understanding of plant responses to insect eggs. Our results underscore the importance of taking into account the role of microorganisms to fully comprehend the intricate interactions among plants, herbivore eggs and their associated egg parasitoids.</p>
Diverse root strategies associated with fast to slow resource acquisition vary among plant growth forms
<p>Root acquisition strategies at regional and global scales are largely associated with climate, soil resource availability, and plant phylogeny, yet the drivers at the local scale are not well-quantified. We sampled 115 species across five growth forms (i.e. trees, shrubs, lianas, herbs, and ferns) from a temperate forest and measured seven key functional traits of first-order roots, including root morphology, anatomy, and chemistry. Most trait variations were greater among growth forms than within them. Importantly, species aggregated in root economics space separately by growth forms, illustrating consistent differences in soil resource strategies among growth forms from fast to slow acquisition. Such diverse strategies among plant growth forms may allow species to avoid strong competition and promote species coexistence in a local forest community. These findings improve our understanding of the mechanisms underlying community assembly and stability from a below-ground perspective.</p>
FIGURE 5. Pseudocodon petiolatus D. Y. Hong & Q. Wang. 1, plant. 2, root. 3 in Taxonomic revision of the genus Pseudocodon (Campanulaceae) based on character analysis and molecular phylogeny
FIGURE 5. Pseudocodon petiolatus D. Y. Hong & Q. Wang. 1, plant. 2, root. 3, stamens & ovary. The illustration was drawn by Ai-Li Li.
FIGURE 17. Lepidaploa remotiflora. A. Plant. B. Root. C. Margin leaf detail. D. Capitula. E–G in The genus Lepidaploa (Vernonieae, Asteraceae) in southern South America
FIGURE 17. Lepidaploa remotiflora. A. Plant. B. Root. C. Margin leaf detail. D. Capitula. E–G: Outer phyllaries. G–K. Inner phyllaries. L. Floret. M. Corolla lobe detail. Source: Marques & Dematteis (2014).
FIGURE 1. Habenaria malipoensis. A. Plant with inflorescence. B. Roots and tubers. C. Flower. D in Habenaria malipoensis (Orchidaceae: Orchidoideae: Orchidinae), a new orchid species from Yunnan, China
FIGURE 1. Habenaria malipoensis. A. Plant with inflorescence. B. Roots and tubers. C. Flower. D. Each part of a flower. E. Front view of column. F. Pollinaria. G. Lateral view of column and spur. H. Flower bract. All from the type collection (Q. Liu & W. L. Zhang 474) and drawn by Bo Pan.
Data of contents amino sugars and microbial necromass carbon in plant roots and the environmental variables
<p><span>Data display the results of environmental properties of 19 sampling sites, amino sugars and microbial necromass carbon (MNC) in the fresh roots of 27 dominant species and mixed roots (including dead roots) of mixed species in Inner Mongolian grasslands, AMF biomass and colonization rate in the fresh roots of 27 dominant species, contents of biomarkers (amino sugars and plant-derived lipids) and organic carbon during the decomposition experiment in model soils, and the relationships between environmental properties and root-borne MNC and their contribution to soil organic carbon.<br></span></p>
Data from: Plant species richness negatively affects root decomposition in grasslands
Plant diversity enhances many ecosystem functions, including root biomass production, which drives soil carbon input. Although root decomposition accounts for a large proportion of carbon input for soil, little is known about plant diversity effect on this process. Plant diversity may affect root decomposition in two non-exclusive ways: by providing roots of different substrate quality (e.g. root chemistry) and/or by altering the soil environment (e.g. microclimate). To disentangle these two pathways, we conducted three decomposition experiments using a litter-bag approach in a grassland biodiversity experiment. We hypothesized that: (i) plant species richness negatively affects substrate quality (indicated by increased C:N ratios), which we tested by decomposing roots collected from each experimental plot in one common plot; (ii) plant species richness positively affects soil environment (indicated by increased soil water content), which we tested by decomposing standardized roots in all experimental plots; (iii) the overall effect of plant species richness on root decomposition, due to the contrast between quality and environmental effects, is neutral, which we tested by decomposing community roots in their 'home' plots. Plant species richness negatively affected root decomposition in all three experiments. The negative effect of plant species richness on substrate quality was largely explained by increased root C:N ratios along the diversity gradient. Functional group presence explained more variance in substrate quality than species richness. Here, the presence of grasses negatively affected substrate quality and root C:N ratios, while the presence of legumes and small herbs had positive effects. Plant species richness had a negative effect on soil environment despite its positive effect on soil water content which is known to stimulate decomposition. We argue that – instead of soil water content – a combined effect of soil temperature and seasonality might drive environmental effect of plant diversity on decomposition in our plant communities, but this remains to be tested. Synthesis. Our results demonstrate that both substrate quality and soil environment contribute to the net negative effect of plant diversity on root decomposition. This study promotes our mechanistic understanding of increased soil carbon accumulation in more diverse grassland plant communities.
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Allen Brain Atlas
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