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opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Root herbivory indirectly affects above- and belowground community members and directly reduces plant performance

1.There is widespread recognition that above- and below-ground organisms are linked through their interactions with host plants that span terrestrial subsystems. In addition to direct effects on plants, soil organisms such as root herbivores can indirectly alter interactions between plants and other community members, with potentially important effects on plant growth and fitness. 2. We manipulated root herbivory by Acalymma vittatum in Cucumis sativus to determine indirect effects on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, leaf herbivory, the leaf pathogen downy mildew, and pollinators. We also manipulated pollen receipt by plants to determine if root herbivory reduced plant reproduction through changes in pollinator visitation. 3. Overall, root herbivory had strong net negative effects on plant growth and fitness, with 34% reductions in both leaf and fruit production by high root damage levels relative to control, despite reduced infection by downy mildew. High root herbivory also reduced floral visitation by 39%, apparently due to lower flower production, as flower size and scent were unaffected. Above-ground herbivory was not affected by root herbivores. 4. Although root herbivory reduced pollinator visits, pollen receipt manipulations had no effect on fruit set, indicating that reduced pollinator service did not affect plant reproduction. 5. Synthesis. Root herbivory had indirect effects on a range of community members, including mutualists and antagonists both above- and below-ground. Although reduced pathogen infection associated with root herbivory would be expected to benefit plants, root herbivory had an overall strong negative effect on plant growth and reproduction, indicating that direct negative effects over-rode any potential indirect benefits.

opencc-zeroDec 2014View details →

Data from: Temporal dynamics of plant-soil feedback and root-associated fungal communities over 100 years of invasion by a non-native plant

1. Pathogens can accumulate on invasive plants over time, which could lead to population declines. The time required for these dynamics to occur is unknown and seldom addressed. Furthermore, no study has assessed plant-soil feedback while characterising plant pathogen and mutualist root fungal communities in the context of invasion time. 2. We used a plant-soil feedback study and 454 pyrosequencing to investigate pathogen accumulation over 100 years on a highly invasive plant in eastern North America that shows localised declines, Vincetoxicum rossicum (Apocynaceae). 3. We collected soil from five sites representing each of four invasion periods of V. rossicum across Ontario, Canada (old, ~100 years; intermediate, 50-60 years; young, <12 years; and uninvaded), and grew V. rossicum in these soils in a glasshouse study. Our hypothesis was that plants grown in soils invaded for longer periods of time would experience less positive feedbacks compared to those grown in more recently invaded or uninvaded soils. We collected roots of V. rossicum from the invasion periods and performed 454 pyrosequencing targeting fungi. We hypothesised that the abundance and richness of fungi that are known plant pathogens would be higher in roots from older invasions compared to more recent invasions. 4. Contrasting with our hypothesis, V. rossicum experienced overall growth promotion due to soil biota, regardless of invasion period. Vincetoxicum rossicum roots were colonised by a large number of fungal taxa, including many known plant pathogens or mutualistic arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. However, we found no evidence of pathogen accumulation in older invaded sites in terms of species composition, richness or abundance. 5. Synthesis: Our consistent results in the glasshouse and the field highlight the strength of combining high-throughput sequencing data with plant-soil feedback experiments. We showed that the roots of Vincetoxicum rossicum (Apocynaceae) were colonised by many fungal taxa, but found no evidence for changes in plant growth or accumulation of fungal pathogens with longer invasion time. High pathogen loads may not lead to concurrent declines in invasive plants. Plant invasions, as demonstrated by V. rossicum, may be unpredictable in their ability to accumulate pathogens capable of leading to population declines.

opennotspecifiedDec 2008View details →

FIGURE 2. Typical and atypical roots. A in Plant structure ontology: How should we label plant structures with doubtful or mixed identities? *

FIGURE 2. Typical and atypical roots. A. Cylindrical root of Asplenium sandersonii (Aspleniaceae) showing prominent root cap and more proximal zone with root-hairs. Scale bar = 250 µm. B–C. Longitudinal sections of Pinguicula root-tips (Lentibulariaceae). B. Pinguicula vulgaris with root-cap. Scale bar = 200 µm. C. Pinguicula moranensis lacking rootcap. Scale bar = 200 µm. D–F. Ribbon-like root of Podostemum distichum (Podostemaceae). D. Cross-section of ribbonlike root. Scale bar = 400 µm. E, F. Two views of root-tip with asymmetrical root cap, shown from slightly above and slightly below. Scale bars = 500 µm. G–H. Ribbon-like root of Ledermanniella spp. (Podostemaceae). G. Ledermanniella bosii (microtome, transversal section) showing adhesive hairs ("root-hairs") along ventral side. Scale bar = 250 µm. H. Ledermanniella bowlingii. Ribbon-like root shown from ventral side, with exogenous lobe and root-tip lacking cap. Scale bar = 2 mm.

opencc-zeroDec 2020View details →

Focusing on individual plants to understand community scale biodiversity effects: the case of root distribution in grasslands

Spatial resource partitioning between species via differences in rooting depth is one of the main explanations for the positive biodiversity-productivity relationship. However, evidence for the importance of this mechanism is limited. This may be due to the community scale at which these interactions are often investigated. Community measures represent net outcomes of species interactions and may obscure the mechanisms underlying belowground interactions. Here, we assess the performance of ~1700 individual plants and their heterospecific neighbours over three growing seasons in experimental grassland plots containing one, four or 16 different plant species and tested whether their performance in mixtures compared to monocultures was related to their own rooting depth vs. the rooting depth of their heterospecific neighbours. Overall, individuals of deep-rooting species performed better in mixtures and this effect significantly increased when surrounded by more shallow-rooting species. This effect was not apparent for the shallow rooting species. Together, including both deep and shallow rooting species increased mixture performance. Our results show that taking the perspective of the individual rather than the community can elucidate the interactions between species that contribute to positive biodiversity effects, emphasizing the need for studies at different scales to disentangle the myriad interactions that take place in diverse communities.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

Data from: Carbon versus nitrogen release from root and leaf litter are modulated by litter position and plant functional type

Litters of leaves and roots of different qualities occur naturally above- and belowground, respectively, where they decompose in contrasting abiotic and biotic environments. Therefore, ecosystem carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) dynamics can be strongly affected by the combination of litter position and quality. However, it is poorly understood how C versus N turnover of litters depends on the interplay among plant functional type (PFT), organs, traits, and litter position. In a semi-arid inland dune, soil surface and buried leaf litters and buried fine roots of 25 species across three PFTs (herbs, legume shrubs, and non-legume shrubs) were incubated for 3, 6, 9, 12, 18, and 24 months to investigate litter decomposition and C and N dynamics. Morphological and chemical (nutrient and NMR carbon) traits of initial litters of leaves and fine roots were determined. The litter decomposition rates (k values) of surface leaves and buried fine roots did not differ, but buried fine roots and buried leaf litter decomposed faster than surface leaf litter. Ratios of k values of surface leaves to buried leaves decreased with the leaf C:N ratio. Herbs and legume shrubs decomposed faster than non-legume shrubs for buried fine roots, but not for leaves. At given C loss, buried fine roots had higher N loss than leaf litters; legume shrubs with relatively higher N or lower C:N ratio had higher N loss than non-legume shrubs. Stronger positive relationships between C and N losses were shown in leaves and legume shrubs than in fine roots and non-legume shrubs, respectively. Synthesis: The generality of faster N release of legume litters at a given C release highlights the importance of legumes in N cycling in semi-arid ecosystems where N is the limiting factor. The dynamics and coordination of C versus N release as a function of litter quality are modulated by litter position and PFT. These findings have important implications for the development of process-based models on C and N cycles in the context of ongoing global change potentially altering the functional composition of plant communities and the relative quantities and qualities of aboveground versus belowground litter.

opencc-zeroOct 2022View details →

The soil microbiome increases plant survival and modifies interactions with root endosymbionts in the field

Evidence is accumulating that the soil microbiome—the community of microorganisms living in soils—has a major effect on plant traits and fitness. However, most work to date has taken place under controlled laboratory conditions and has not experimentally disentangled the effect of the soil microbiome on plant performance from the effects of key endosymbiotic constituents. As a result, it is difficult to extrapolate from existing data to understand the role of the soil microbiome in natural plant populations. To address this gap, we performed a field experiment using the black medick Medicago lupulina to test how the soil microbiome influences plant performance and colonization by two root endosymbionts (the mutualistic nitrogen-fixing bacteria Ensifer spp. and the parasitic root-knot nematode Meloidogyne hapla) under natural conditions. We inoculated all plants with nitrogen-fixing bacteria and factorially manipulated the soil microbiome and nematode infection. We found that plants grown in microbe-depleted soil exhibit greater mortality, but that among the survivors there was no effect of the soil microbiome on plant performance (shoot biomass, root biomass, or shoot-to-root ratio). The soil microbiome also impacted parasitic nematode infection and affected colonization by mutualistic nitrogen-fixing bacteria in a plant genotype-dependent manner, increasing colonization in some plant genotypes and decreasing it in others. Our results demonstrate the soil microbiome has complex effects on plant-endosymbiont interactions and may be critical for survival under natural conditions.

opencc-zeroMar 2023View details →

Climate warming alters the relative importance of plant root and microbial community in regulating the accumulation of soil microbial necromass carbon in a Tibetan alpine meadow

Climate warming is predicted to considerably affect variations in soil organic carbon (SOC), especially in alpine ecosystems. Microbial necromass carbon (MNC) is an important contributor to stable soil organic carbon pools. However, accumulation and persistence of soil MNC across a gradient of warming are still poorly understood. An eight-year field experiment with four levels of warming was conducted in a Tibetan meadow. We found that low-level (+0-1.5 ℃) warming mostly enhanced bacterial necromass carbon (BNC), fungal necromass carbon (FNC), and total MNC compared with control treatment across soil layers, while no significant effect was caused between high-level (+1.5-2.5 ℃) treatments and control treatments. The contributions of both MNC and BNC to soil organic carbon were not significantly affected by warming treatments across depths. Structural equation modeling analysis demonstrated that the effect of plant root traits on MNC persistence strengthened with warming intensity, while the influence of microbial community characteristics waned along with strengthened warming. Overall, our study provides novel evidence that the major determinants of MNC production and stabilization may vary with warming magnitude in alpine meadows. This finding is critical for updating our knowledge of soil carbon storage in response to climate warming.

opennotspecifiedApr 2023View details →

FIGURE 2. Craterostigma nanum. A. Plant habit showing roots. B in Re-instatement of Craterostigma nanum (Linderniaceae) from the Pondoland Centre of Floristic Endemism and key to the South African species

FIGURE 2. Craterostigma nanum. A. Plant habit showing roots. B. Flower in face view showing lip, hood, and anticous anthers. C. Side view of partly dissected flower showing posticous anthers. D. Calyx showing floral tube base. E. Pistil. F. Abaxial leaf surface. G. Adaxial leaf surface. Artist: K.W. Grieve. Scale bars 10 mm.

opencc-zeroMay 2023View details →

Host age affects the performance of the root hemiparasitic plant Rhinanthus alectorolophus

Interactions between root hemiparasitic plants and their hosts are strongly affected by host identity but may also depend on the condition of the host. An important determinant of host quality could be host age, as it may influence host size, allocation patterns, responses to infection, and the strength of competition for light between parasite and host. We investigated the effects of host species identity, host age and above-ground separation of hemiparasite and host on the interactions between the hemiparasite Rhinanthus alectorolophus and five host species in a factorial experiment. The host species were planted at six different times, from ten weeks before the parasite was planted to four weeks after. Host age strongly influenced the performance of the parasite, but these effects also varied among host species. Parasites grew largest with hosts planted at the same time or two weeks earlier, but their performance strongly declined both with increasing host age and with the time they grew autotrophically. A large part of the variation due to host age but not of that due to host species identity could be related to the negative influence of host size at the likely time of parasite attachment. The low quality of older hosts was not due to light competition, suggesting that effective exploitation of these hosts was prevented by other factors like harder roots, stronger defence against parasite attack or competition for resources taken up by the host roots. Suppression of host growth by the parasites declined with increasing host age. The results indicate that the choice of host age may influence the results of studies on hemiparasites. They also highlight the importance for annual root hemiparasites of attachment in early spring, i.e. at a time when their mostly perennial hosts produce fresh roots but are still poorly developed above ground.

opencc-by-4.0Jun 2023View details →

Dataset: Bridging Time-series Image Phenotyping and Functional-Structural Plant Modeling to Predict Adventitious Root System Architecture

Dataset for Bridging Time-series Image Phenotyping and Functional-Structural Plant Modeling to Predict Adventitious Root System Architecture manuscript submitted to Plant Phenomics. The dataset contains raw and processed root architecture images, RhizoVision trait outputs, and the associated R scripts for statistical analysis and model parameterization.

opennotspecifiedFeb 2023View details →

Fig. 1 in Isoavenaciol and 7-hydroxy-isoavenaciol: Zn-chelating metallophores produced by root-endophytic Pezicula ericae in a Zn-accumulating plant, Aucuba japonica

Fig. 1. Zn-chelating activity of each sample solution. The activities were shown as means ± standard errors (n = 3). (+) indicates that a clear zone only inside the steel cup or paper disk. The different letters indicate a statistically significant difference was observed in one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Scheffe´at P <0.05.

opennotspecifiedJun 2021View details →

Fig. 2. 1H in Metabolite pattern in root nodules of the actinorhizal plant Casuarina equisetifolia

Fig. 2. 1H-NMR spectra of root nodule extracts of C. equisetifolia. (A) A 1H-NMR spectrum of extracts of hydrophobic compounds. (B) A 1H-NMR spectrum of extracts of hydrophilic compounds. (C) Magnified part of the 1H-NMR spectrum shown in (B). Peaks 1–6 were ascribed to tyramine, tyrosine, malate, citrate, succinate and β-glucose, respectively.

opennotspecifiedJun 2021View details →

Fig. 4 in Metabolite pattern in root nodules of the actinorhizal plant Casuarina equisetifolia

Fig. 4. Growth of Frankia casuarinae strain CcI3 in BAP media with various carbon and nitrogen sources. BAP, containing 5 mM Na propionate (15 mM carbon units) as carbon source and 5 mM ammonium chloride (5 mM nitrogen units) as nitrogen source; BAP N–, BAP medium without nitrogen source; BAP C– N–, BAP medium without neither carbon nor nitrogen source; BAP C– N– + tyramine, BAP C– N– medium containing 1.875 mM tyramine (15 mM carbon units); BAP C– N– + malate, BAP C– N– medium containing 3.75 mM malate (15 mM carbon units); BAP N– + tyramine, BAP N– medium containing 5 mM tyramine (5 mM nitrogen units).

opennotspecifiedMar 2023View details →

Fig. 1 in 3-Pentanol glycosides from root nodules of the actinorhizal plant Alnus cremastogyne

Fig. 1. Chemical structures of four 3-pentanol glycosides (1–4) isolated from A. cremastogyne root nodules. They are 3-pentyl β-D-glucopyranoside (1), 3-pentyl α-L- arabinofuranosyl-(1′′→6′)-β- -glucopyranoside (2), 3-pentyl α- -rhamnopyranosyl-(1′′→6′)-β- -glucopyranoside (3), and 3-pentyl 6′-(3-hydroxy3-methylglutaryl)- DLDβ-D-glucopyranoside (4).

opennotspecifiedMar 2023View details →

Fig. 3 in 3-Pentanol glycosides from root nodules of the actinorhizal plant Alnus cremastogyne

Fig. 3. The contents of 3-pentanol. (A) The contents of free 3-pentanol. (B) The contents of 3-pentanol released from glycosides in various organs of A. cremastogyne. Values are in mean ± SD. Each n = 3 biological replicates.

Fig. 4. A in Hairy root transformation of Brassica rapa with bacterial halogenase genes and regeneration to adult plants to modify production of indolic compounds

Fig. 4. A. Growth of wild type root cultures on different Trp derivatives as compared to growth on MS medium only. B. Correlation of the relative growth and the production of different Cl-Trp compounds.

Fig. 3. A in Hairy root transformation of Brassica rapa with bacterial halogenase genes and regeneration to adult plants to modify production of indolic compounds

Fig. 3. A. All transgenic root lines were analyzed by the following experiments and the data are presented for selected lines transformed with the pMDC32+2xCaMV35S:pyrH:nosT construct (pyrH = 5-Cl-Trp-forming). Transformation of roots with A. rhizogenes was verified using gDNA and cDNA for a successful insertion and expression, respectively. A. Upper panel: Amplified rolB (423 bp) and rolC (626 bp) for three different lines (lanes 1–3) using gDNA. The virG gene (350 bp) was only detectable in the positive control (Ri-plasmid of A. rhizogenes) (lane +) "-" denotes a negative PCR control. Lower panel: Integration of full length hal gene (ca. 1.5 kb) using gDNA. Expression of full length hal gene (ca. 1.5 kb) using cDNA. "+": positive control (plasmid containing pyrH or the other hal genes), "-": negative PCR control, g: gDNA wild type, c: cDNA wild type, 1–3: three independent transgenic root culture lines with the pMDC32+2xCaMV35S:pyrH:nosT construct, "1-"-"3-": RT negative controls (containing no DNA). B. Western blot with the purified His-tagged proteins: 1: PyrH, 2: ThaI, 3: PrnA, a: PyrH synthesized in E. coli, b: positive control ThaI synthesized in E. coli, c: positive control PrnA synthesized in E. coli. Wild type protein as control did not show any signal (data not shown). C. Enzyme assay with the purified halogenase PyrH. The positive control is PyrH protein synthesized in bacteria. The negative control is purified protein from wild type root cultures. Since only for PyrH enzyme activity could be detected, the data for the other halogenases are shown in the supplement (Fig. S1). D. Production of chlorinated tryptophan (Cl-Trp) and indole-3-acetonitrile (ClIAN) in transgenic root lines. For each halogenase construct five independent lines were tested. Results for 5 lines per halogenase type with and without Histag are indicated by the numbers of lines with the respective metabolites. The detailed results for all individual lines are shown in the supplement (Fig. S2).

Fig. 6. A in Hairy root transformation of Brassica rapa with bacterial halogenase genes and regeneration to adult plants to modify production of indolic compounds

Fig. 6. A. Confirmation of i) that the regenerated plants contain still the rol genes and ii) the integration of the hal gene into the genome and its transcription into cDNA (1: regenerated plants from wild type root cultures; 2: BrRP-pyrHHIS.6; 3: A. rhizogenes plasmid; 4: negative PCR control; 5: positive control - hal amplification from plasmid; a: cDNA, b: cDNA "no template control; genomic DNA. B. Western blot of His-tagged halogenase (PyrH, Thal, PrnA: purified enzymes from overexpressing E. coli strain as positive controls; BrRP-HR = WT, regenerated plants from wild type root cultures; BrRP-S: regenerated plants from Chinese cabbage seedlings; BrRP-pyrH, -thal, -prnA: regenerated plants from transgenic roots.). Always two different dilutions were applied. The gel strips were from the same gel, but due to large parts with samples without an immunosignal, the respective areas were cut out and are presented here. C. Relative amounts of chlorinated metabolites in the regenerated plants.

Fig. 2 in Hairy root transformation of Brassica rapa with bacterial halogenase genes and regeneration to adult plants to modify production of indolic compounds

Fig. 2. Expected indole metabolites and their interconversion (in black) that could be derived from tryptophan via the indole glucosinolate/indole phytoalexin pathway. It is indicated (in grey) that there are alternative pathways to IAA. The possible induction (dashed arrows) of chlorinated metabolites by abiotic and biotic stress factors, the latter also via the signaling molecules salicylic acid and jasmonic acid, is shown.

Fig. 1 in Hairy root transformation of Brassica rapa with bacterial halogenase genes and regeneration to adult plants to modify production of indolic compounds

Fig. 1. Experimental scheme showing the different types of plant materials generated. A. Mature wild type plants/seedlings; B. Wild type and transgenic root cultures; C. Regenerated sterile plants from wild type seedlings; D. Regenerated sterile plants from wild type and transgenic root cultures; E. Adult plants in soil from wild type cultures; F. Adult plants in soil from transgenic root cultures.