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Bahadur A, Jiang S, Zhang W, Sajjad W, Usman M, Nasir F, Amir Zia M, Zhang Q, Pan J, Liu Y, Chen T, Feng H. Competitive interactions in two different plant species: Do grassland mycorrhizal communities and nitrogen addition play the same game? FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2023; 14:1084218. [PMID: 36993846 PMCID: PMC10040756 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2023.1084218] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/30/2022] [Accepted: 02/28/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
In the Tibetan Plateau grassland ecosystems, nitrogen (N) availability is rising dramatically; however, the influence of higher N on the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) might impact on plant competitive interactions. Therefore, understanding the part played by AMF in the competition between Vicia faba and Brassica napus and its dependence on the N-addition status is necessary. To address this, a glasshouse experiment was conducted to examine whether the grassland AMF community's inocula (AMF and NAMF) and N-addition levels (N-0 and N-15) alter plant competition between V. faba and B. napus. Two harvests took day 45 (1st harvest) and day 90 (2nd harvest), respectively. The findings showed that compared to B. napus, AMF inoculation significantly improved the competitive potential of the V. faba. In the occurrence of AMF, V. faba was the strongest competitor being facilitated by B. napus in both harvests. While under N-15, AMF significantly enhanced tissue N:P ratio in B. napus mixed-culture at 1st harvest, the opposite trend was observed in 2nd harvest. The mycorrhizal growth dependency slightly negatively affected mixed-culture compared to monoculture under both N-addition treatments. The aggressivity index of AMF plants was higher than NAMF plants with both N-addition and harvests. Our observation highlights that mycorrhizal associations might facilitate host plant species in mixed-culture with non-host plant species. Additionally, interacting with N-addition, AMF could impact the competitive ability of the host plant not only directly but also indirectly, thereby changing the growth and nutrient uptake of competing plant species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ali Bahadur
- Key Laboratory of Extreme Environmental Microbial Resources and Engineering, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Shengjing Jiang
- State Key Laboratory of Herbage Improvement and Grassland Agro-ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wei Zhang
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Wasim Sajjad
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Muhammad Usman
- State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agroecosystems, Key Laboratory of Grassland Livestock Industry Innovation, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, Gansu, China
| | - Fahad Nasir
- Key Laboratory of Mollisols Agroecology, Northeast Institute of Geography and Agroecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Changchun, Jilin, China
| | - Muhammad Amir Zia
- National Institute for Genomics and Advanced Biotechnology, National Agriculture Research Center, Islamabad, Pakistan
| | - Qi Zhang
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Jianbin Pan
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Yongjun Liu
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
| | - Tuo Chen
- State Key Laboratory of Cryospheric Science, Northwest Institute of Eco-Environment and Resources, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou, China
| | - Huyuan Feng
- MOE Key Laboratory of Cell Activities and Stress Adaptation, School of Life Sciences, Lanzhou University, Lanzhou, China
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Soufbaf M, Fathipour Y, Harvey JA, Hui C. Finish line plant-insect interactions mediated by insect feeding mode and plant interference: a case study of Brassica interactions with diamondback moth and turnip aphid. INSECT SCIENCE 2018; 25:690-702. [PMID: 28092131 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12439] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2016] [Revised: 12/02/2016] [Accepted: 12/08/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
There are gaps in our understanding of plant responses under different insect phytophagy modes and their subsequent effects on the insect herbivores' performance at late season. Here we compared different types of insect feeding by an aphid, Lipaphis erysimi, and a lepidopteran, Plutella xylostella, and how this affected defensive metabolites in leaves of 2 Brassica species when plants gain maturity. Thiocyanate concentrations after P. xylostella and L. erysimi feeding activities were the same. Total phenolics was higher after the phloem feeder feeding than the folivore activity. The plants compensatory responses (i.e., tolerance) to L. erysimi feeding was significantly higher than the responses to P. xylostella. This study showed that L. erysimi had higher carbon than P. xylostella whereas nitrogen in P. xylostella was 1.42 times that in L. erysimi. Population size of the phloem feeder was not affected by plant species or insect coexistence. However, there was no correlation between plant defensive metabolites and both insects' population size and biomass. This suggests that plant root biomass and tolerance index after different insect herbivory modes are not necessarily unidirectional. Importantly, the interaction between the folivore and the phloem feeder insects is asymmetric and the phloem feeder might be a trickier problem for plants than the folivore. Moreover, as both plants' common and special defenses decreased under interspecific interference, we suggest that specialist insect herbivores can be more challenged in ecosystems in which plants are not involved in interspecific interference.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Soufbaf
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Yaghoub Fathipour
- Department of Entomology, Faculty of Agriculture, Tarbiat Modares University, Tehran, Iran
| | - Jeffrey A Harvey
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, the Netherlands
- Section Animal Ecology, Department of Ecological Sciences, VU University Amsterdam, Amsterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Cang Hui
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, Centre for Invasion Biology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland, South Africa
- Mathematical and Physical Biosciences, African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, Cape Town, South Africa
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Bukovská P, Bonkowski M, Konvalinková T, Beskid O, Hujslová M, Püschel D, Řezáčová V, Gutiérrez-Núñez MS, Gryndler M, Jansa J. Utilization of organic nitrogen by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi-is there a specific role for protists and ammonia oxidizers? MYCORRHIZA 2018; 28:269-283. [PMID: 29455336 DOI: 10.1007/s00572-018-0825-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2017] [Accepted: 02/07/2018] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi can significantly contribute to plant nitrogen (N) uptake from complex organic sources, most likely in concert with activity of soil saprotrophs and other microbes releasing and transforming the N bound in organic forms. Here, we tested whether AM fungus (Rhizophagus irregularis) extraradical hyphal networks showed any preferences towards certain forms of organic N (chitin of fungal or crustacean origin, DNA, clover biomass, or albumin) administered in spatially discrete patches, and how the presence of AM fungal hyphae affected other microbes. By direct 15N labeling, we also quantified the flux of N to the plants (Andropogon gerardii) through the AM fungal hyphae from fungal chitin and from clover biomass. The AM fungal hyphae colonized patches supplemented with organic N sources significantly more than those receiving only mineral nutrients, organic carbon in form of cellulose, or nothing. Mycorrhizal plants grew 6.4-fold larger and accumulated, on average, 20.3-fold more 15N originating from the labeled organic sources than their nonmycorrhizal counterparts. Whereas the abundance of microbes (bacteria, fungi, or Acanthamoeba sp.) in the different patches was primarily driven by patch quality, we noted a consistent suppression of the microbial abundances by the presence of AM fungal hyphae. This suppression was particularly strong for ammonia oxidizing bacteria. Our results indicate that AM fungi successfully competed with the other microbes for free ammonium ions and suggest an important role for the notoriously understudied soil protists to play in recycling organic N from soil to plants via AM fungal hyphae.
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Affiliation(s)
- Petra Bukovská
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Michael Bonkowski
- Cologne Biocenter, University of Cologne, Zülpicher Strasse 47b, 50674, Köln, Germany
| | - Tereza Konvalinková
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Olena Beskid
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Martina Hujslová
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - David Püschel
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Veronika Řezáčová
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - María Semiramis Gutiérrez-Núñez
- Institute of Ecosystems and Sustainability Research, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Antigua Carretera a Pátzcuaro, 8701, C.P, 58190, Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico
| | - Milan Gryndler
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic
| | - Jan Jansa
- Institute of Microbiology, Czech Academy of Sciences, Vídeňská 1083, 14220, Praha 4, Czech Republic.
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Hill EM, Robinson LA, Abdul-Sada A, Vanbergen AJ, Hodge A, Hartley SE. Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Plant Chemical Defence: Effects of Colonisation on Aboveground and Belowground Metabolomes. J Chem Ecol 2018; 44:198-208. [PMID: 29392532 PMCID: PMC5843688 DOI: 10.1007/s10886-017-0921-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2017] [Revised: 12/08/2017] [Accepted: 12/25/2017] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) colonisation of plant roots is one of the most ancient and widespread interactions in ecology, yet the systemic consequences for plant secondary chemistry remain unclear. We performed the first metabolomic investigation into the impact of AMF colonisation by Rhizophagus irregularis on the chemical defences, spanning above- and below-ground tissues, in its host-plant ragwort (Senecio jacobaea). We used a non-targeted metabolomics approach to profile, and where possible identify, compounds induced by AMF colonisation in both roots and shoots. Metabolomics analyses revealed that 33 compounds were significantly increased in the root tissue of AMF colonised plants, including seven blumenols, plant-derived compounds known to be associated with AMF colonisation. One of these was a novel structure conjugated with a malonyl-sugar and uronic acid moiety, hitherto an unreported combination. Such structural modifications of blumenols could be significant for their previously reported functional roles associated with the establishment and maintenance of AM colonisation. Pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs), key anti-herbivore defence compounds in ragwort, dominated the metabolomic profiles of root and shoot extracts. Analyses of the metabolomic profiles revealed an increase in four PAs in roots (but not shoots) of AMF colonised plants, with the potential to protect colonised plants from below-ground organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth M Hill
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Lynne A Robinson
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Ali Abdul-Sada
- School of Life Sciences, University of Sussex, Brighton, BN1 9QG, UK
| | - Adam J Vanbergen
- Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH), Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian, EH26 0QB, UK
| | - Angela Hodge
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Sue E Hartley
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
- York Environment and Sustainability Institute, Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York, YO10 5DD, UK.
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Hodge A. Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi and organic material substrates. ADVANCES IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY 2014; 89:47-99. [PMID: 25131400 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-800259-9.00002-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) associations are widespread and form between ca. two-thirds of all land plants and fungi in the phylum Glomeromycota. The association is a mutualistic symbiosis with the fungi enhancing nutrient capture for the plant while obtaining carbon in return. Although arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) lack any substantial saprophytic capability they do preferentially associate with various organic substrates and respond by hyphal proliferation, indicating the fungus derives a benefit from the organic substrate. AMF may also enhance decomposition of the organic material. The benefit to the host plant of this hyphal proliferation is not always apparent, particularly regarding nitrogen (N) transfer, and there may be circumstances under which both symbionts compete for the N released given both have a large demand for N. The results of various studies examining AMF responses to organic substrates and the interactions with other members of the soil community will be discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Hodge
- Department of Biology, University of York, York, United Kingdom.
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Nuccio EE, Hodge A, Pett-Ridge J, Herman DJ, Weber PK, Firestone MK. An arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus significantly modifies the soil bacterial community and nitrogen cycling during litter decomposition. Environ Microbiol 2013; 15:1870-81. [DOI: 10.1111/1462-2920.12081] [Citation(s) in RCA: 214] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2012] [Revised: 12/16/2012] [Accepted: 12/27/2012] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Peter K. Weber
- Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; Livermore; CA; USA
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Hodge
- Department of Biology; University of York; Area 14, Wentworth Way; York; YO10 5DD; UK
| | - Alastair H. Fitter
- Department of Biology; University of York; Area 14, Wentworth Way; York; YO10 5DD; UK
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Karasawa T, Hodge A, Fitter AH. Growth, respiration and nutrient acquisition by the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus Glomus mosseae and its host plant Plantago lanceolata in cooled soil. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2012; 35:819-28. [PMID: 22070553 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2011.02455.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Although plant phosphate uptake is reduced by low soil temperature, arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are responsible for P uptake in many plants. We investigated growth and carbon allocation of the AM fungus Glomus mosseae and a host plant (Plantago lanceolata) under reduced soil temperature. Plants were grown in compartmented microcosm units to determine the impact on both fungus and roots of a constant 2.7 °C reduction in soil temperature for 16 d. C allocation was measured using two (13)CO(2) pulse labels. Although root growth was reduced by cooling, AM colonization, growth and respiration of the extraradical mycelium (ERM) and allocation of assimilated (13)C to the ERM were all unaffected; the frequency of arbuscules increased. In contrast, root respiration and (13)C content and plant P and Zn content were all reduced by cooling. Cooling had less effect on N and K, and none on Ca and Mg content. The AM fungus G. mosseae was more able to sustain activity in cooled soil than were the roots of P. lanceolata, and so enhanced plant P content under a realistic degree of soil cooling that reduced plant growth. AM fungi may therefore be an effective means to promote plant nutrition under low soil temperatures.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Karasawa
- Department of Biology, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
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Herman DJ, Firestone MK, Nuccio E, Hodge A. Interactions between an arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus and a soil microbial community mediating litter decomposition. FEMS Microbiol Ecol 2012; 80:236-47. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1574-6941.2011.01292.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 165] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2010] [Revised: 09/26/2011] [Accepted: 12/18/2011] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Donald J. Herman
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management; University of California; Berkeley; CA; USA
| | - Mary K. Firestone
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management; University of California; Berkeley; CA; USA
| | - Erin Nuccio
- Department of Environmental Science Policy and Management; University of California; Berkeley; CA; USA
| | - Angela Hodge
- Department of Biology; University of York; York; UK
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Fitter A, Helgason T, Hodge A. Nutritional exchanges in the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis: Implications for sustainable agriculture. FUNGAL BIOL REV 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.fbr.2011.01.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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Hodge A. Roots: The Acquisition of Water and Nutrients from the Heterogeneous Soil Environment. PROGRESS IN BOTANY 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-02167-1_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Forde BG, Walch-Liu P. Nitrate and glutamate as environmental cues for behavioural responses in plant roots. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2009; 32:682-93. [PMID: 19143987 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-3040.2008.01927.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
As roots explore the soil, they encounter a complex and fluctuating environment in which the different edaphic resources (water and nutrients) are heterogeneously distributed in space and time. Many plant species are able to respond to this heterogeneity by modifying their root system development, such that they colonize the most resource-rich patches of soil. The complexities of these responses, and their dependence on the implied ability to perceive and integrate multiple external signals, would seem to amply justify the term 'behaviour'. This review will consider the types of behaviour that are elicited in roots of Arabidopsis thaliana by exposure to variations in the external concentrations and distribution of two different N compounds, nitrate and glutamate. Molecular genetic studies have revealed an intricate N regulatory network at the root tip that is responsible for orchestrating changes in root growth rate and root architecture to accommodate variations in the extrinsic and intrinsic supply of N. The review will discuss what is known of the genetic basis for these responses and speculate on their physiological and ecological significance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian G Forde
- Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University, Bailrigg, Lancaster LA15LB, UK.
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Abstract
Root systems have recognizable developmental plans when grown in solution or agar; however, these plans often must be modified to cope with the prevailing conditions in the soil environment such as the avoidance of obstacles and the exploitation of nutrient-rich patches or water zones. The modular structure of roots enables them to respond to their environment, and roots are very adaptive at modifying growth throughout the root system to concentrate their efforts in the areas that are the most profitable. Roots also form associations with microorganisms as a strategy to enhance resource capture. However, while the responses of roots in nutrient patches are well-recognized, overall 'rules of response' and variation in strategy among plant species that can be applied in a number of different environments are still lacking. Finally, there is increasing evidence that root-root interactions are much more sophisticated than previously thought, and the evidence for roots to identify self from non-self roots will be briefly discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Hodge
- Department of Biology, Area 14, University of York, York YO105YW, UK.
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Atkin OK, Sherlock D, Fitter AH, Jarvis S, Hughes JK, Campbell C, Hurry V, Hodge A. Temperature dependence of respiration in roots colonized by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2008; 182:188-199. [PMID: 19140938 DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02727.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
* The arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) symbiosis is ubiquitous, and the fungus represents a major pathway for carbon movement in the soil-plant system. Here, we investigated the impacts of AM colonization of Plantago lanceolata and temperature on the regulation of root respiration (R). * Warm-grown AM plants exhibited higher rates of R than did nonAM plants, irrespective of root mass. AM plants exhibited higher maximal rates of R (R(max)-R measured in the presence of an uncoupler and exogenous substrate) and greater proportional use of R(max) as a result of increased energy demand and/or substrate supply. The higher R values exhibited by AM plants were not associated with higher maximal rates of cytochrome c oxidase (COX) or protein abundance of either the COX or the alternative oxidase. * Arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization had no effect on the short-term temperature dependence (Q(10)) of R. Cold-acclimated nonAM plants exhibited higher rates of R than their warm-grown nonAM counterparts. By contrast, chilling had a negligible effect on R of AM-plants. Thus, AM plants exhibited less cold acclimation than their nonAM counterparts. * Overall, these results highlight the way in which AM colonization alters the underlying components of respiratory metabolism and the response of root R to sustained changes in growth temperature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Owen K Atkin
- Department of Biology, The University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
| | - David Sherlock
- Department of Biology, The University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
| | - Alastair H Fitter
- Department of Biology, The University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
| | - Susan Jarvis
- Department of Biology, The University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
| | - John K Hughes
- Department of Biology, The University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
| | - Catherine Campbell
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Vaughan Hurry
- Umeå Plant Science Centre, Department of Plant Physiology, Umeå University, S-901 87 Umeå, Sweden
| | - Angela Hodge
- Department of Biology, The University of York, PO Box 373, York YO10 5YW, UK
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Cruz C, Bio AMF, Jullioti A, Tavares A, Dias T, Martins-Loução MA. Heterogeneity of soil surface ammonium concentration and other characteristics, related to plant specific variability in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem. ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION (BARKING, ESSEX : 1987) 2008; 154:414-423. [PMID: 18241964 DOI: 10.1016/j.envpol.2007.12.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2007] [Revised: 11/26/2007] [Accepted: 12/03/2007] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Heterogeneity and dynamics of eight soil surface characteristics essential for plants--ammonium and nitrate concentrations, water content, temperature, pH, organic matter, nitrification and ammonification rates--were studied in a Mediterranean-type ecosystem on four occasions over a year. Soil properties varied seasonally and were influenced by plant species. Nitrate and ammonium were present in the soil at similar concentrations throughout the year. The positive correlation between them at the time of greatest plant development indicates that ammonium is a readily available nitrogen source in Mediterranean-type ecosystems. The results presented here suggest that plant cover significantly affects soil surface characteristics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cristina Cruz
- Faculdade de Ciências, Centro de Biologia Ambiental (CBA), Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Bloco C2, Piso 4, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal.
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