scholarly journals Fungal diversity regulates plant-soil feedbacks in temperate grassland

2018 ◽  
Vol 4 (11) ◽  
pp. eaau4578 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marina Semchenko ◽  
Jonathan W. Leff ◽  
Yudi M. Lozano ◽  
Sirgi Saar ◽  
John Davison ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Vegetation Dynamics ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Temperate Grassland ◽  
Saprotrophic Fungi ◽  
Plant Resource ◽  
Plant Soil

Feedbacks between plants and soil microbial communities play an important role in vegetation dynamics, but the underlying mechanisms remain unresolved. Here, we show that the diversity of putative pathogenic, mycorrhizal, and saprotrophic fungi is a primary regulator of plant-soil feedbacks across a broad range of temperate grassland plant species. We show that plant species with resource-acquisitive traits, such as high shoot nitrogen concentrations and thin roots, attract diverse communities of putative fungal pathogens and specialist saprotrophs, and a lower diversity of mycorrhizal fungi, resulting in strong plant growth suppression on soil occupied by the same species. Moreover, soil properties modulate feedbacks with fertile soils, promoting antagonistic relationships between soil fungi and plants. This study advances our capacity to predict plant-soil feedbacks and vegetation dynamics by revealing fundamental links between soil properties, plant resource acquisition strategies, and the diversity of fungal guilds in soil.

Thinking globally or acting locally? Belowground biotic responses to local- and broad- scale variations in mountain soils

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alexia Stokes ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Species Composition ◽  
Soil Properties ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Root Traits ◽  
Community Level ◽  
Individual Species ◽  
Soil Processes ◽  
Local Soil ◽  
Broad Scale

<p>Soil is a hyper-heterogeneous environment, and how plants respond to changes in belowground variations in microclimate, soil properties and biota is extremely difficult to disentangle. Environmental gradients have been proposed as useful to help understand how root traits mediate plant responses to soil hyper-heterogeneity, and if in turn, there is a feedback mechanism that then impacts soil processes.</p><p>We present data from studies of forests and prairies situated along temperate elevational gradients. We measured functional traits from individual plant species and also in species mixtures at the community level. Distinct patterns in aboveground traits were found with increasing altitude. However, even though there were changes in soil biota, physical and chemical properties along gradients, we show that at the species level, several plant root traits were more sensitive to variations in local soil properties, compared to global variations along the elevation gradient. At the community level however, patterns of trait variation in individual species were often masked. Earthworm populations were also mostly driven by local soil properties, and elevation and plant species composition had only an indirect effect on population size. We also demonstrate that increased diversity in soil microbial communities was linked to the species composition of vegetation at a local level, rather than broad scale soil or climate characteristics.</p><p>Results will be discussed with regard to their impact on shaping soil processes such as carbon stockage, aggregation and hydraulic conductivity. Integrating these data into conceptual models of mountain ecosystem functioning is a challenging next step.</p>

scholarly journals Cheatgrass invasion alters the abundance and composition of dark septate fungal communities in sagebrush steppe

Botany ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 94 (6) ◽  
pp. 481-491 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Gehring ◽  
Michaela Hayer ◽  
Lluvia Flores-Rentería ◽  
Andrew F. Krohn ◽  
Egbert Schwartz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Native Species ◽  
Invasive Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Sagebrush Steppe ◽  
Native Plant ◽  
Native Plant Species ◽  
Dark Septate Fungi

Invasive, non-native plant species can alter soil microbial communities in ways that contribute to their persistence. While most studies emphasize mycorrhizal fungi, invasive plants also may influence communities of dark septate fungi (DSF), which are common root endophytes that can function like mycorrhizas. We tested the hypothesis that a widespread invasive plant in the western United States, cheatgrass (Bromus tectorum L.), influenced the abundance and community composition of DSF by examining the roots and rhizosphere soils of cheatgrass and two native plant species in cheatgrass-invaded and noninvaded areas of sagebrush steppe. We focused on cheatgrass because it is negatively affected by mycorrhizal fungi and colonized by DSF. We found that DSF root colonization and operational taxonomic unit (OTU) richness were significantly higher in sagebrush (Artemisia tridentata Nutt.) and rice grass (Achnatherum hymenoides (Roem. & Schult.) Barkworth) from invaded areas than noninvaded areas. Cheatgrass roots had similar levels of DSF colonization and OTU richness as native plants. The community composition of DSF varied with invasion in the roots and soils of native species and among the roots of the three plant species in the invaded areas. The substantial changes in DSF we observed following cheatgrass invasion argue for comparative studies of DSF function in native and non-native plant species.

Fungi-vegetation relationships in a Pinus sylvestris forest in central Norway

1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (6) ◽  
pp. 807-816 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sigurd M. Såstad
Keyword(s):  
Pinus Sylvestris ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Ectomycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Bottom Layer ◽  
Saprotrophic Fungi ◽  
Field Layer ◽  
Mantel Tests ◽  
Total Cover

The macrofungal Basidiomycete community of a Pinus sylvestris forest was investigated in 50 plots, 2 × 2 m, to see how vegetation composition and space influenced the distribution of saprotrophic and ectomycorrhizal fungi. Mantel tests and partial Mantel tests revealed a relationship between total cover of the field layer and mycorrhizal fungi, and total cover of the bottom layer and saprotrophic fungi. These results are consistent with the predictions that mycorrhizal fungi are mainly influenced by plant species present in the root zone, whereas saprotrophic fungi are mainly influenced by the plant species of the bottom layer. Variation in the abundance of tree species did not influence the distribution of macrofungal species at this scale. The spatial patterns of fungal distribution found in this study did not deviate significantly from a random distribution. Indirect ordination showed that the ectomycorrhizal fungi mainly responded to a gradient in cover of the field layer, whereas the saprotrophs seemed to respond to a complex gradient of cover of field and bottom layer, moisture, and paludification. A direct ordination using both vegetation and fungi descriptors indicated that some of the covariation in the saprotrophic fungi and the bottom layer might be coordinated responses to changes in the field layer. A considerably higher β diversity was found among the fungi than in the vegetation. Key words: basidiomycetes, saprotrophic fungi, mycorrhizal fungi, fungi–vegetation relationships, Mantel test, ordination.

scholarly journals Rapid transfer of photosynthetic carbon through the plant-soil system in differently managed species-rich grasslands

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 1131-1139 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. De Deyn ◽  
H. Quirk ◽  
S. Oakley ◽  
N. Ostle ◽  
R. D. Bardgett
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Soil Microbes ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Soil System ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
C Cycling ◽  
C Assimilation ◽  
Rapid Transfer

Abstract. Plant-soil interactions are central to short-term carbon (C) cycling through the rapid transfer of recently assimilated C from plant roots to soil biota. In grassland ecosystems, changes in C cycling are likely to be influenced by land use and management that changes vegetation and the associated soil microbial communities. Here we tested whether changes in grassland vegetation composition resulting from management for plant diversity influences short-term rates of C assimilation and transfer from plants to soil microbes. To do this, we used an in situ 13C-CO2 pulse-labelling approach to measure differential C uptake among different plant species and the transfer of the plant-derived 13C to key groups of soil microbiota across selected treatments of a long-term plant diversity grassland restoration experiment. Results showed that plant taxa differed markedly in the rate of 13C assimilation and concentration: uptake was greatest and 13C concentration declined fastest in Ranunculus repens, and assimilation was least and 13C signature remained longest in mosses. Incorporation of recent plant-derived 13C was maximal in all microbial phosopholipid fatty acid (PLFA) markers at 24 h after labelling. The greatest incorporation of 13C was in the PLFA 16:1ω5, a marker for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), while after 1 week most 13C was retained in the PLFA18:2ω6,9 which is indicative of assimilation of plant-derived 13C by saprophytic fungi. Our results of 13C assimilation and transfer within plant species and soil microbes were consistent across management treatments. Overall, our findings suggest that plant diversity restoration management may not directly affect the C assimilation or retention of C by individual plant taxa or groups of soil microbes, it can impact on the fate of recent C by changing their relative abundances in the plant-soil system. Moreover, across all treatments we found that plant-derived C is rapidly transferred specifically to AMF and decomposer fungi, indicating their consistent key role in the cycling of recent plant derived C.

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

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Emilia Hannula ◽  
Robin Heinen ◽  
Martine Huberty ◽  
Katja Steinauer ◽  
Jonathan R. De Long ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Growth ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Bacterial Communities ◽  
Fungal Pathogens ◽  
Early Ontogeny ◽  
Vital Role ◽  
Plant Colonization ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Legacy ◽  
Species Specific

AbstractPlant-soil feedbacks are shaped by microbial legacies previous plants leave in the soil. We tested the persistence of such soil legacies after subsequent colonization by the same or other plant species, and whether the microbiome created by the previous plant explains current plant growth. Legacies of previous plants were detectable in soil fungal communities several months after their removal while concomitantly the effect of the current plant amplified in time. Remarkably, bacterial legacies faded away rapidly in the soil and bacterial communities were selected strongly by plant currently growing in the soil. Both fungal and bacterial legacies wrought by the previous plant were conserved inside the root endophytic compartment of the current plant and these endophytes affected significantly the plant growth. Hence, microbial soil legacies present at the time of plant establishment play a vital role in shaping plant growth even as the composition gradually changes in the soil after subsequent plant colonization, as they are taken up as endophytes in the plant. This suggests that plant-soil feedbacks may be partly mediated by a relatively stable endophytic community acquired in early ontogeny while the effects of previous plants detected on soil microbiomes vary between organisms studied. We further show that plants growing in their own soils harbor different endophytic microbiomes than plants growing in soils with legacy of other plants and that especially grasses are sensitive to species specific fungal pathogens while all plant species have less endophytic Streptomycetes when growing in their own soil. In conclusion, we show that soil legacies wrought by previous plants can remain present in the soils and inside the roots for months, even when subsequent plants colonize the soil and that these legacies also substantially modulate the plant growth.

scholarly journals Invasive garlic mustard demonstrates stronger relationships with pathotrophic than mycorrhizal fungi

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joseph D. Edwards ◽  
Wendy H. Yang ◽  
Anthony C. Yannarell
Keyword(s):  
Community Structure ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Archaeal Community ◽  
Alliaria Petiolata ◽  
Microbial Pathogens ◽  
Garlic Mustard ◽  
Saprotrophic Fungi ◽  
Fungal Community Structure ◽  
Central Illinois

AbstractGarlic mustard (Alliaria petiolata) has long been known to degrade mycorrhizal mutualisms in soils it invades and may also promote the abundance of microbial pathogens harmful to native plants or alter saprotrophic communities to disrupt nutrient cycling. Phenology of other invasive species, like Lepidium latifolium and Lonicera maackii, plays a role in their interactions with soil microbial communities, and so we may expect garlic mustard phenology to influence its effects on native soil microbiomes as well. Here, we investigate differences in fungal, bacterial, and archaeal community structure, as well as the abundance of key functional groups, between garlic mustard present, absent, and removed treatments in central-Illinois forest soils across different stages of the garlic mustard life cycle. Across its phenology, garlic mustard present soils had different overall fungal community structure and greater abundance of pathotrophic fungi than soils where garlic mustard was absent or removed. However, abundance of ectomycorrhizal and saprotrophic fungi as well as bacterial and archaeal community structure were similar between treatments and did not interact with garlic mustard phenology. The most abundant overall fungal taxon was a plant pathogen, Entorrhiza aschersoniana, that was greatest in garlic mustard present soils, particularly while the plants were flowering. These results support the hypothesis that invasive plants form active relationships with microbial pathogens that could contribute to their overall success in invading ecosystems.

scholarly journals Plant species and functional group effects on abiotic and microbial soil properties and plant-soil feedback responses in two grasslands

2006 ◽  
Vol 94 (5) ◽  
pp. 893-904 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. MARTIJN BEZEMER ◽  
CLARE S. LAWSON ◽  
KATARINA HEDLUND ◽  
ANDREW R. EDWARDS ◽  
ALEX J. BROOK ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Soil Properties ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Functional Group ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Feedback ◽  
Group Effects ◽  
Feedback Responses

scholarly journals Rapid transfer of photosynthetic carbon through the plant-soil system in differently managed grasslands

2011 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 921-940 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. B. De Deyn ◽  
H. Quirk ◽  
S. Oakley ◽  
N. Ostle ◽  
R. D. Bardgett
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Diversity ◽  
Soil Microbes ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
C Cycling ◽  
Rapid Transfer

Abstract. Plant-soil interactions are central to short-term carbon (C) cycling through the rapid transfer of recently assimilated C from plant roots to soil biota. In grassland ecosystems, changes in C cycling are likely to be influenced by land use and management that changes vegetation and the associated soil microbial communities. Here we tested whether changes in grassland vegetation composition resulting from management for plant diversity influences short-term rates of C assimilation, retention and transfer from plants to soil microbes. To do this, we used an in situ 13C-CO2 pulse-labeling approach to measure differential C uptake among different plant species and the transfer of the plant-derived 13C to key groups of soil microbiota across selected treatments of a long-term plant diversity grassland restoration experiment. Results showed that plant taxa differed markedly in the rate of 13C assimilation and retention: uptake was greatest and retention lowest in Ranunculus repens, and assimilation was least and retained longest in mosses. Incorporation of recent plant-derived 13C was maximal in all microbial phosopholipid fatty acid (PLFA) markers at 24 h after labeling. The greatest incorporation of 13C was in the PLFA 16:1ω5, a marker for arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), while after one week most 13C was retained in the PLFA 18:2ω6,9 which is indicative of assimilation of plant-derived 13C by saprophytic fungi. Our results of 13C assimilation, transfer and retention within plant species and soil microbes were consistent across management treatments. Overall, our findings suggest that changes in vegetation and soil microbial composition resulting from differences in long-term grassland management will affect short-term cycling of photosynthetic C, but that restoration management does not alter the short-term C uptake and transfer within plant species and within key groups of soil microbes. Moreover, across all treatments we found that plant-derived C is rapidly transferred specifically to AMF and decomposer fungi, indicating their consistent key role in the cycling of recent plant derived C.

Hybridization in Populus alters the species composition and interactions of root-colonizing fungi: consequences for host plant performance

Botany ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 287-293 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine A. Gehring ◽  
Baoming Ji ◽  
Sarah Fong ◽  
Thomas G. Whitham
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Communities ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungi ◽  
Soil Microbes ◽  
Fungal Spores ◽  
Soil Microbial Communities ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Fungal Spore ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Populus Angustifolia

Interactions among plants and soil microbes can significantly influence plant communities, yet we understand little about how hybridization of plant species might alter these interactions. In addition, few studies have explored the effects of different components of soil microbial communities on plant performance. We tested for feedbacks between soil microbes within a Populus hybridizing system using approaches that allowed us to isolate the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and root endophytes. We found significant differences among the arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungal spore communities cultured from Populus angustifolia James, Populus fremontii S. Watson, and their F1 hybrids. Populus angustifolia cuttings grew 40% larger when inoculated with AM fungal spores from F1 hybrids than with spores from P. fremontii, while growth with spores from P. angustifolia was intermediate. However, parental and hybrid inocula promoted growth equally when soil inoculum was used. Roots inoculated with AM fungal spores alone were colonized principally by AMF, while those inoculated with soil were colonized mostly by dark septate endophytes. These results indicate that genetic variation among hybridizing plant species can influence both microbial communities and their interactions with host plants, but these effects depend upon the type of microbe. Furthermore, our results suggest that interactions among fungi during root colonization may alter the composition and function of the plant microbiome.

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