Plant cheaters preferentially target arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi that are highly connected to mutualistic plants

AbstractTo address how arbuscular mycorrhizal networks sustain cheaters – mycoheterotrophic plants that obtain both carbon and soil nutrients from fungi – here we investigate how mutualistic and antagonistic mycorrhizal networks are interlinked.We sampled root tips of mutualistic and cheater plants in two tropical forest plots and assembled the combined network between fungi linked to mutualistic and cheater plants (i.e., tripartite network) using DNA sequencing. We compared the interactions of the fungi in the mutualistic and antagonistic networks and searched for motifs (simple subgraphs that are overrepresented in complex networks) representing simultaneous links of particular mutualist and cheater plants to pairs of fungi to investigate fungal association preferences.Within the tripartite network, cheater plants are highly connected and interact with the majority of available fungal partners (74%), and we find that fungi that share interactions with the same mutualistic plants also share interactions with sets of cheaters. The motif analysis demonstrates that cheaters preferentially interact with sets of fungi that are linked to particular plant species.Our findings indicate that cheaters preferentially interact with fungi that are well-connected to particular mutualistic plants. We hypothesize that these non-random interactions may result from trait-based selection and that this strategy maximizes carbon availability for cheaters.

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Divergence in bidirectional plant-soil feedbacks between montane annual and coastal perennial ecotypes of yellow monkeyflower (Mimulus guttatus)

10.1101/2020.12.02.408245 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Mariah M. McIntosh ◽

Lorinda Bullington ◽

Ylva Lekberg ◽

Lila Fishman

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Plant Performance ◽

Fungal Communities ◽

Mechanistic Study ◽

List Type ◽

Mimulus Guttatus ◽

Plant Variation ◽

Plant Soil ◽

Soil Origin

SUMMARYUnderstanding the physiological and genetic mechanisms underlying plant variation in interactions with root-associated biota (RAB) requires a micro-evolutionary approach. We use locally adapted montane annual and coastal perennial ecotypes of Mimulus guttatus (yellow monkeyflower) to examine population-scale differences in plant-RAB-soil feedbacks.We characterized fungal communities for the two ecotypes in-situ and used a full-factorial greenhouse experiment to investigate the effects of plant ecotype, RAB source, and soil origin on plant performance and endophytic root fungal communities.The two ecotypes harbored different fungal communities and responsiveness to soil biota was highly context-dependent. Soil origin, RAB source, and plant ecotype all affected the intensity of biotic feedbacks on plant performance. Feedbacks were primarily negative, and we saw little evidence of local adaptation to either soils or RAB. Both RAB source and soil origin significantly shaped fungal communities in roots of experimental plants. Further, the perennial ecotype was more colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) than the montane ecotype, and preferentially recruited home AMF taxa.Our results suggest life history divergence and distinct edaphic habitats shape plant responsiveness to RAB and influence specific associations with potentially mutualistic root endophytic fungi. Our results advance the mechanistic study of intraspecific variation in plant–soil–RAB interactions.

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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi favor invasive Echinops sphaerocephalus when grown in competition with native Inula conyzae

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-77030-0 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Veronika Řezáčová ◽

Milan Řezáč ◽

Hana Gryndlerová ◽

Gail W. T. Wilson ◽

Tereza Michalová

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizae ◽

Native Plants ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Am Fungi ◽

Plant Invasions ◽

Soil Disturbance ◽

Mycorrhizal Networks ◽

The Family ◽

Globalized World

AbstractIn a globalized world, plant invasions are common challenges for native ecosystems. Although a considerable number of invasive plants form arbuscular mycorrhizae, interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi and invasive and native plants are not well understood. In this study, we conducted a greenhouse experiment examining how AM fungi affect interactions of co-occurring plant species in the family Asteracea, invasive Echinops sphaerocephalus and native forb of central Europe Inula conyzae. The effects of initial soil disturbance, including the effect of intact or disturbed arbuscular mycorrhizal networks (CMNs), were examined. AM fungi supported the success of invasive E. sphaerocephalus in competition with native I. conyzae, regardless of the initial disturbance of CMNs. The presence of invasive E. sphaerocephalus decreased mycorrhizal colonization in I. conyzae, with a concomitant loss in mycorrhizal benefits. Our results confirm AM fungi represent one important mechanism of plant invasion for E. sphaerocephalus in semi-natural European grasslands.

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Advance and Prospect of Mycorrhizal Physic Nut

Advanced Materials Research ◽

10.4028/www.scientific.net/amr.518-523.5381 ◽

2012 ◽

Vol 518-523 ◽

pp. 5381-5384

Author(s):

Song Mei Shi ◽

Bo Tu ◽

Dai Jun Liu ◽

Xiao Hong Yang

Keyword(s):

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizae ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Biomass Energy ◽

Mycorrhizal Symbiosis ◽

Physic Nut ◽

Root Tips ◽

Gene Engineering ◽

Energy Plant

Physic nut (Jatropha curcas Linn., Euphorbiaceae) is one of the hottest biomass energy plant studied by scientists. This paper first reviewed the symbiosis relationship between physic nut and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. The researches have showed that diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) exists around the rhizosphere of physic nut. The AMF hyphae colonize root tips of physic nut to develop arbuscular mycorrhizae. The construction of mycorrhizal symbiosis relationship improves the nutritional absorption, promotes the growth and development of seedlings, and enhance the stress tolerance capacity of physic nut. This paper also displays a prospect for mycorrhizal physic nut research in the future, such as mycorrhizal system, the molecular mechanism for stress resistance and gene engineering. As an important resource of biomass energy, mycorrhizal physic nut has a huge exploitation potential and practical value.

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Trait-based aerial dispersal of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

10.1101/2020.02.12.943878 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

V. Bala Chaudhary ◽

Sarah Nolimal ◽

Moisés A. Sosa-Hernández ◽

Cameron Egan ◽

Jude Kastens

Keyword(s):

Community Structure ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

High Throughput Sequencing ◽

Fungal Spores ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Am Fungi ◽

Global Scale ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizas ◽

List Type ◽

Aerial Dispersal

SUMMARYDispersal is a key process driving local-scale community assembly and global-scale biogeography of plant symbiotic arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal communities. A trait-based approach could improve predictions regarding how AM fungal aerial dispersal varies by species.We conducted month-long collections of aerial AM fungi for 12 consecutive months in an urban mesic environment at heights of 20 m. We measured functional traits of all collected spores and assessed aerial AM fungal community structure both morphologically and with high-throughput sequencing.Large numbers of AM fungal spores were present in the air over the course of one year and these spores were more likely to exhibit traits that facilitate dispersal. Aerial spores were smaller than average for Glomeromycotinan fungi. Trait-based predictions indicate that nearly 1/3 of described species from diverse genera demonstrate the potential for aerial dispersal. Diversity of aerial AM fungi was relatively high (20 spore species and 17 virtual taxa) and both spore abundance and community structure shifted temporally.The prevalence of aerial dispersal in arbuscular mycorrhizas is perhaps greater than previously indicated and a hypothesized model of AM fungal dispersal mechanisms is presented. Anthropogenic soil impacts may initiate the dispersal of disturbance-tolerating AM fungal species and facilitate community homogenization.

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Cheating emergences in the arbuscular mycorrhizal mutualism: a network and phylogenetic analysis

10.1101/500504 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Benoît Perez-Lamarque ◽

Marc-André Selosse ◽

Maarja Öpik ◽

Hélène Morlon ◽

Florent Martos

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Interaction Network ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Mycorrhizal Symbiosis ◽

List Type ◽

Functional Constraints ◽

Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽

Phylogenetic Constraint ◽

Multiple Partners ◽

Scale Network

AbstractWhile mutualisms are widespread and essential in ecosystem functioning, the emergence of uncooperative cheaters threatens their stability, unless there are functional or evolutionary mechanisms limiting cheaters interactions.Here, we evaluated the constraints upon mycoheterotrophic (MH) cheating plants in the mutualistic interaction network of autotrophic (AT) plants and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. For this purpose, we assembled a world-scale network of >25,000 interactions in order to investigate(i)the specialization and(ii)the phylogenetic distribution of MH or AT plants and their respective fungal partners.We show that MH cheating repeatedly evolved in the vascular flora, suggesting low phylogenetic constraint for plants. However, MH cheaters are significantly more specialized than AT plants, and their fungi also appear more specialized and more closely related than fungi of AT plants, which suggest that cheaters are specifically isolated into modules by functional constraintsThis unprecedented comparison of MH vs. AT plants thus reveals that MH cheating is most likely constrained by the specialization of phylogenetically conserved cheating-susceptible fungi, which suggests mechanisms for avoidance of these fungi. Beyond the mycorrhizal symbiosis, our approach highlights an empirical multiple-partners mutualistic system illustrating that the overall persistence of mutualism can be linked to functional constraints upon cheating emergences.

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Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiovar viciae strains are natural wheat endophytes and can stimulate root development and colonization by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

10.1101/2020.08.07.241844 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Claudia Bartoli ◽

Stéphane Boivin ◽

Marta Marchetti ◽

Carine Gris ◽

Virginie Gasciolli ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Root Development ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Rhizobium Leguminosarum ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Wheat Root ◽

List Type ◽

Wheat Roots ◽

Single Strain ◽

Endophytic Colonization ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal

SummaryAlthough rhizobia establishing a nitrogen-fixing symbiosis with legumes are also known to promote growth in non-legumes, studies on rhizobia association with wheat roots are scarce.We searched for Rhizobium leguminosarum symbiovar viciae (Rlv) strains naturally competent for wheat roots colonization. We isolated 20 strains and tested the ability of a subset for wheat roots colonization when co-inoculated with other Rlv. We also measured the effect of these strains on wheat root architecture and Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungal (AMF) colonization. We found a low diversity of Rlv in wheat roots compared to that observed in the Rlv species complex. Only a few strains, including those isolated from wheat roots, and one strain isolated from pea nodules, were efficient to colonize wheat roots in co-inoculation conditions. These strains had a high ability for endophytic colonization of wheat root and were able to stimulate root development and AMF colonization in single strain inoculation conditions.These results suggest that wheat is an alternative host for some Rlv; nevertheless, there is a strong competition between Rlv strains for wheat root colonization. Furthermore, our study suggests that the level of endophytic colonization is critical for Rlv ability to promote wheat growth.

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Mycoheterotrophic plants living on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi are generally enriched in 13 C, 15 N and 2 H isotopes

Journal of Ecology ◽

10.1111/1365-2745.13381 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 108 (4) ◽

pp. 1250-1261 ◽

Cited By ~ 6

Author(s):

Sofia I. F. Gomes ◽

Vincent S. F. T. Merckx ◽

Judith Kehl ◽

Gerhard Gebauer

Keyword(s):

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Mycoheterotrophic Plants

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FungalRoot: Global online database of plant mycorrhizal associations

10.1101/717488 ◽

2019 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Nadejda A. Soudzilovskaia ◽

Stijn Vaessen ◽

Milargos Barcelo ◽

Jinhong He ◽

Saleh Rahimlou ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Plant Species ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Great Majority ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Terrestrial Ecosystems ◽

List Type ◽

Mycorrhizal Plant ◽

Mycorrhizal Associations ◽

Phylogenetic Hypotheses ◽

Trees And Shrubs

SummaryThe urgent need to better understand profound impacts of mycorrhizas on functioning of terrestrial ecosystems, along with recent debates on resolving plant mycorrhizal associations, indicate that there is a great need for a comprehensive data of plant mycorrhizal associations able to support testing of ecological, biogeographic and phylogenetic hypotheses.Here present a database, FungalRoot, which summarizes publicly available data on plant mycorrhizal type and intensity of root colonization by mycorrhizal fungi, accompanied by rich meta-data. We collected and digitized data on plant mycorrhizal colonization intensity published until April 2019 in 9 globally most important languages. The data were assessed for quality and updated for plant taxonomy.The FungalRoot database contains 36,303 species by site observations for 14,870 plant species, tripling the previously available amount in any compilation. The great majority of ectomycorrhizal and ericod mycorrhizal plants are trees and shrubs, 92% and 85% respectively. The majority of arbuscular mycorrhizal and of non-mycorrhizal plant species are herbaceous (50% and 70%).Besides acting as a compilation of referenced observations, our publicly available database provides a recommendation list of plant mycorrhizal status for ecological and evolutionary analyses to promote research on the links between above- and belowground biodiversity and functioning of terrestrial ecosystems.

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Response of growth and drought tolerance of Acacia seyal Del. seedlings to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

Plant Soil and Environment ◽

10.17221/206/2020-pse ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 66 (No. 6) ◽

pp. 264-271 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Abdalla Ahmed ◽

Abdelmalik Abdelmalik ◽

Thobayet Alsharani ◽

Bdulaziz Al-Qarawi Al-Qarawi ◽

Ibrahim Aref

Keyword(s):

Drought Tolerance ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Glomus Intraradices ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Arid Environment ◽

Root Surface ◽

Root Surface Area ◽

Root Tips ◽

Acacia Seyal

Considering the improvement of acacia species growth in arid and semi-arid environment, a pot experiment was conducted to evaluate the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF); Funneliformis mosseae (syn. Glomus mosseae), Rhizophagus intraradices (syn. Glomus intraradices) and Claroideoglomus etunicatum (syn. Glomus etunicatum) on growth and drought tolerance of Acacia seyal Del. seedlings under drought cycles (7, 14, 21 and 28 days). AMF-inoculated seedlings showed a clear colonisation percentage (36–68%). AMF treatment significantly improved seedlings shoot and root growth under all drought cycles compared to non-AMF control seedlings. Moreover, AMF treatment enhanced seedlings drought resistance by increasing root surface area (root length increased by 483.76% and root tips number increased by 1 463.94% under 28 days of drought cycle), there was a strong linear relation between proline accumulation, AMF and drought stress (proline content decreased in treated seedlings by 31.3% and 14.3% and increased by 97.5% and 80.4% in untreated seedlings under drought cycles of 21 and 28 days, respectively). In conclusion, the AMF inoculation improved growth and enhanced drought tolerance of A. seyal seedlings and can be used as a natural biostimulator for acacias seedlings establishment in arid areas.

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Species-Specific Root Microbiota Dynamics in Response to Plant-Available Phosphorus

10.1101/400119 ◽

2018 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Natacha Bodenhausen ◽

Vincent Somerville ◽

Alessandro Desirò ◽

Jean-Claude Walser ◽

Lorenzo Borghi ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽

Available Phosphorus ◽

List Type ◽

P Availability ◽

Core Microbiome ◽

Soil P ◽

Bacteria And Fungi ◽

Species Specific ◽

Root Microbiota

SummaryPhosphorus (P) is a limiting element for plant growth. Several root microbes, including arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), have the capacity to improve plant nutrition and their abundance is known to depend on P fertility. However, how complex root-associated bacterial and fungal communities respond to changes in P availability remains ill-defined.We manipulated the availability of soil P in pots and compared the root microbiota of non-mycorrhizal Arabidopsis with mycorrhizal Petunia plants. Root bacteria and fungi were profiled using ribosomal operon gene fragment sequencing, we searched for P sensitive microbes and tested whether a P sensitive core microbiome could be identified.Root microbiota composition varied substantially by P availability. A P sensitive core microbiome was not identified as different bacterial and fungal groups responded to low-P conditions in Arabidopsis and Petunia. P sensitive microbes included Mortierellomycotina in Arabidopsis, while these were AMF and their symbiotic endobacteria in Petunia. Of note, their P-dependent root colonization was reliably quantified by sequencing.The species-specific root microbiota dynamics suggest that Arabidopsis and Petunia evolved different microbial associations under the selection pressure of low P availability. This implies that the development of microbial products that improve P availability requires the consideration of host-species specificity.

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