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Kandlikar GS. Quantifying soil microbial effects on plant species coexistence: A conceptual synthesis. Am J Bot 2024:e16316. [PMID: 38659131 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16316] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/01/2023] [Revised: 03/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024]
Abstract
Soil microorganisms play a critical role in shaping the biodiversity dynamics of plant communities. These microbial effects can arise through direct mediation of plant fitness by pathogens and mutualists, and over the past two decades, numerous studies have shined a spotlight on the role of dynamic feedbacks between plants and soil microorganisms as key determinants of plant species coexistence. Such feedbacks occur when plants modify the composition of the soil community, which in turn affects plant performance. Stimulated by a theoretical model developed in the 1990s, a bulk of the empirical evidence for microbial controls over plant coexistence comes from experiments that quantify plant growth in soil communities that were previously conditioned by conspecific or heterospecific plants. These studies have revealed that soil microbes can generate strong negative to positive frequency-dependent dynamics among plants. Even as soil microbes have become recognized as a key player in determining plant coexistence outcomes, the past few years have seen a renewed interest in expanding the conceptual foundations of this field. New results include re-interpretations of key metrics from classic two-species models, extensions of plant-soil feedback theory to multispecies communities, and frameworks to integrate plant-soil feedbacks with processes like intra- and interspecific competition. Here, I review the implications of theoretical developments for interpreting existing empirical results and highlight proposed analyses and designs for future experiments that can enable a more complete understanding of microbial regulation of plant community dynamics.
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Idbella M, Baronti S, Vaccari FP, Abd-ElGawad AM, Bonanomi G. Long-Term Application of Biochar Mitigates Negative Plant-Soil Feedback by Shaping Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungi and Fungal Pathogens. Microorganisms 2024; 12:810. [PMID: 38674754 PMCID: PMC11052468 DOI: 10.3390/microorganisms12040810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Revised: 03/30/2024] [Accepted: 04/16/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Negative plant-soil feedback (PSF) arises when localized accumulations of pathogens reduce the growth of conspecifics, whereas positive PSF can occur due to the emergence of mutualists. Biochar, a carbon-rich material produced by the pyrolysis of organic matter, has been shown to modulate soil microbial communities by altering their abundance, diversity, and activity. For this reason, to assess the long-term impact of biochar on soil microbiome dynamics and subsequent plant performance, we conducted a PSF greenhouse experiment using field soil conditioned over 10 years with Vitis vinifera (L.), without (e.g., C) or with biochar at two rates (e.g., B and BB). Subsequently, the conditioned soil was employed in a response phase involving either the same plant species or different species, i.e., Medicago sativa (L.), Lolium perenne (L.), and Solanum lycopersicum (L.). We utilized next-generation sequencing to assess the abundance and diversity of fungal pathogens and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) within each conditioned soil. Our findings demonstrate that biochar application exerted a stimulatory effect on the growth of both conspecifics and heterospecifics. In addition, our results show that untreated soils had a higher abundance of grape-specialized fungal pathogens, mainly Ilyonectria liriodendra, with a relative abundance of 20.6% compared to 2.1% and 5.1% in B and BB, respectively. Cryptovalsa ampelina also demonstrated higher prevalence in untreated soils, accounting for 4.3% compared to 0.4% in B and 0.1% in BB. Additionally, Phaeoacremonium iranianum was exclusively present in untreated soils, comprising 12.2% of the pathogens' population. Conversely, the application of biochar reduced generalist fungal pathogens. For instance, Plenodomus biglobosus decreased from 10.5% in C to 7.1% in B and 2.3% in BB, while Ilyonectria mors-panacis declined from 5.8% in C to 0.5% in B and 0.2% in BB. Furthermore, biochar application was found to enrich the AMF community. Notably, certain species like Funneliformis geosporum exhibited increased relative abundance in biochar-treated soils, reaching 46.8% in B and 70.3% in BB, compared to 40.5% in untreated soils. Concurrently, other AMF species, namely Rhizophagus irregularis, Rhizophagus diaphanus, and Claroideoglomus drummondii, were exclusively observed in soils where biochar was applied. We propose that the alleviation of negative PSF can be attributed to the positive influence of AMF in the absence of strong inhibition by pathogens. In conclusion, our study underscores the potential of biochar application as a strategic agricultural practice for promoting sustainable soil management over the long term.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohamed Idbella
- College for Sustainable Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, Mohammed VI Polytechnic University, Ben Guerir 43150, Morocco
| | - Silvia Baronti
- Institute of BioEconomy (IBE), National Research Council (CNR), Via Giovanni Caproni, 8, 50144 Firenze, Italy; (S.B.); (F.P.V.)
| | - Francesco Primo Vaccari
- Institute of BioEconomy (IBE), National Research Council (CNR), Via Giovanni Caproni, 8, 50144 Firenze, Italy; (S.B.); (F.P.V.)
| | - Ahmed M. Abd-ElGawad
- Plant Production Department, College of Food & Agriculture Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2460, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia;
| | - Giuliano Bonanomi
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Via Università 100, 80055 Portici, Italy;
- Task Force on Microbiome Studies, University of Naples Federico II, 80138 Naples, Italy
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Waheed A, Haxim Y, Islam W, Ahmad M, Muhammad M, Alqahtani FM, Hashem M, Salih H, Zhang D. Climate change reshaping plant-fungal interaction. Environ Res 2023; 238:117282. [PMID: 37783329 DOI: 10.1016/j.envres.2023.117282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 09/29/2023] [Indexed: 10/04/2023]
Abstract
Plant diseases pose a severe threat to modern agriculture, necessitating effective and lasting control solutions. Environmental factors significantly shape plant ecology. Human-induced greenhouse gas emissions have led to global temperature rise, impacting various aspects, including carbon dioxide (CO2) concentration, temperature, ozone (O3), and ultraviolet-B, all of which influence plant diseases. Altered pathogen ranges can accelerate disease transmission. This review explores environmental effects on plant diseases, with climate change affecting fungal biogeography, disease incidence, and severity, as well as agricultural production. Moreover, we have discussed how climate change influences pathogen development, host-fungal interactions, the emergence of new races of fungi, and the dissemination of emerging fungal diseases across the globe. The discussion about environment-mediated impact on pattern-triggered immunity (PTI), effector-triggered immunity (ETI), and RNA interference (RNAi) is also part of this review. In conclusion, the review underscores the critical importance of understanding how climate change is reshaping plant-fungal interactions. It highlights the need for continuous research efforts to elucidate the mechanisms driving these changes and their ecological consequences. As the global climate continues to evolve, it is imperative to develop innovative strategies for mitigating the adverse effects of fungal pathogens on plant health and food security.
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Affiliation(s)
- Abdul Waheed
- National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Resource Utilization in Arid Areas, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan, 838008, China
| | - Yakoopjan Haxim
- National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Resource Utilization in Arid Areas, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan, 838008, China
| | - Waqar Islam
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Desert Plant Roots Ecology and Vegetation Restoration, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China
| | | | - Murad Muhammad
- Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China
| | - Fatmah M Alqahtani
- Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, 61413, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mohamed Hashem
- Department of Biology, College of Science, King Khalid University, Abha, 61413, Saudi Arabia
| | - Haron Salih
- National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Resource Utilization in Arid Areas, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan, 838008, China
| | - Daoyuan Zhang
- National Key Laboratory of Ecological Security and Resource Utilization in Arid Areas, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Xinjiang Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Plant Gene Resources, Xinjiang Institute of Ecology & Geography, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Urumqi, 830011, China; Turpan Eremophytes Botanical Garden, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Turpan, 838008, China.
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4
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Topalović O, Geisen S. Nematodes as suppressors and facilitators of plant performance. New Phytol 2023; 238:2305-2312. [PMID: 37010088 DOI: 10.1111/nph.18925] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Plant-nematode interactions are mainly considered from the negative aspect with a focus on plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs), which is justified considering the agronomic losses caused by PPNs. Despite the fact that PPNs are outnumbered by nonparasitic free-living nematodes (FLNs), the functional importance of FLNs, especially with regard to plant performance, remains largely unknown. Here, we provide a comprehensive overview and most recent insights into soil nematodes by showing direct and indirect links of both PPNs and FLNs with plant performance. We especially emphasize the knowledge gaps and potential of FLNs as important indirect players in driving plant performance such as stimulating the resistance to pests via improving the disease suppressive activity of the rhizobiome. Together, we present a holistic view of soil nematodes as positive and negative contributors to plant performance, accentuating the positive but underexplored role of FLNs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivera Topalović
- Section of Terrestrial Ecology, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, DK-2100, Denmark
- Department of Nematology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, 6708PB, the Netherlands
| | - Stefan Geisen
- Department of Nematology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, 6708PB, the Netherlands
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Wei B, Zhong L, Liu J, Zheng F, Jin Y, Xie Y, Lei Z, Shen G, Yu M. Differences in Density Dependence among Tree Mycorrhizal Types Affect Tree Species Diversity and Relative Growth Rates. Plants 2022; 11:plants11182340. [PMID: 36145742 PMCID: PMC9505969 DOI: 10.3390/plants11182340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2022] [Revised: 09/02/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD) may vary by tree mycorrhizal type. However, whether arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM)-associated tree species suffer from stronger CNDD than ectomycorrhizal (EcM) and ericoid mycorrhizal (ErM)-associated tree species at different tree life stages, and whether EcM tree species can promote AM and ErM saplings and adults growth, remain to be studied. Based on the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest data in eastern China, the generalized linear mixed-effects model was used to analyze the effects of the conspecific density and heterospecific density grouped by symbiont mycorrhizal type on different tree life stages of different tree mycorrhizal types. The results showed that compared to other tree mycorrhizal types at the same growth stage, EcM saplings and AM adults experienced stronger CNDD. Heterospecific EcM density had a stronger positive effect on AM and ErM individuals. Species diversity and average relative growth rate (RGR) first increased and then decreased with increasing basal area (BA) ratios of EcM to AM tree species. These results suggested that the stronger CNDD of EcM saplings and AM adults favored local species diversity over other tree mycorrhizal types. The EcM tree species better facilitated the growth of AM and ErM tree species in the neighborhood, increasing the forest carbon sink rate. Interestingly, species diversity and average RGR decreased when EcM or AM tree species predominated. Therefore, our study highlights that manipulating the BA ratio of EcM to AM tree species will play a nonnegligible role in maintaining biodiversity and increasing forest carbon sink rates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Boliang Wei
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Lei Zhong
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Zhejiang Wuyanling National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, Taishun 325500, China
| | - Jinliang Liu
- College of Life and Environmental Science, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou 325035, China
| | - Fangdong Zheng
- Zhejiang Wuyanling National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, Taishun 325500, China
| | - Yi Jin
- State Key Laboratory of Plant Physiology and Development in Guizhou Province, School of Life Sciences, Guizhou Normal University, Guiyang 550025, China
| | - Yuchu Xie
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
| | - Zupei Lei
- Zhejiang Wuyanling National Nature Reserve Management Bureau, Taishun 325500, China
| | - Guochun Shen
- Zhejiang Tiantong Forest Ecosystem National Observation and Research Station, Center for Global Change and Ecological Forecasting, School of Ecological and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai 200241, China
| | - Mingjian Yu
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +86-0571-88206469
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Liu Y, He F. Warming shifts soil microbial communities and tropical tree seedling mortality. Ecology 2022; 103:e3810. [PMID: 35796422 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3810] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2021] [Revised: 05/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/02/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Plant-soil feedback (PSF), regulated by both mycorrhizae and soil-borne pathogens, is a primary mechanism maintaining high tree species diversity in the tropics. But how warming actually affects PSF is not well understood. We conducted a field warming experiment to test PSF on seedling mortality of two tree species: a rhizobia-associated tree (Ormosia semicastrata, Fabaceae) suffering from host-specific soil-borne pathogens and an ectomycorrhizal fungi-associated tree (Cyclobalanopsis patelliormis, Fagaceae) with low susceptibility to soil-borne pathogens. Soil fungi from the warming versus control seedling plots were identified by molecular sequencing. Results showed that the elevated temperature lowered seedling mortality of O. semicastrata, but had no effect on C. patelliormis seedlings. This indicates that warming weakened the negative PSF on O. semicastrata, presumably due to the observed decrease of the relative abundance of plant-pathogenic fungi and increase of ectomycorrhizal fungi but did not affect the PSF on C. patelliormis. The differential warming effects on seedling mortality of species with different microbial associations afford an example showcasing how the change in soil-borne microbes in response to global warming would in turn, through PSF, alters tropical tree species composition and diversity. This study helps shed mechanistic light on the debate of biodiversity change as driven by climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yu Liu
- ECNU-Alberta Joint Lab for Biodiversity Study, Tiantong National Station for Forest Ecosystem Research, School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,Shanghai Institute of Pollution Control and Ecological Security, Shanghai, China
| | - Fangliang He
- ECNU-Alberta Joint Lab for Biodiversity Study, Tiantong National Station for Forest Ecosystem Research, School of Ecology and Environmental Sciences, East China Normal University, Shanghai, China.,Department of Renewable Resources, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
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7
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Beers AT, Frey SN. Greater sage‐grouse habitat selection varies across the marginal habitat of its lagging range margin. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Aidan T. Beers
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan Utah USA
| | - Shandra N. Frey
- Department of Wildland Resources Utah State University Logan Utah USA
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Yan X, Levine JM, Kandlikar GS. A quantitative synthesis of soil microbial effects on plant species coexistence. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2122088119. [PMID: 35605114 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2122088119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
SignificanceUnderstanding the processes that maintain plant diversity is a key goal in ecology. Many previous studies have shown that soil microbes can generate stabilizing or destabilizing feedback loops that drive either plant species coexistence or monodominance. However, theory shows that microbial controls over plant coexistence also arise through microbially mediated competitive imbalances, which have been largely neglected. Using data from 50 studies, we found that soil microbes affect plant dynamics primarily by generating competitive fitness differences rather than stabilizing or destabilizing feedbacks. Consequently, in the absence of other competitive asymmetries among plants, soil microbes are predicted to drive species exclusion more than coexistence. These results underscore the need for measuring competitive fitness differences when evaluating microbial controls over plant coexistence.
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Bruninga-Socolar B, Winfree R, Crone EE. The contribution of plant spatial arrangement to bumble bee flower constancy. Oecologia 2022; 198:471-481. [PMID: 35080650 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-022-05114-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2021] [Accepted: 01/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Floral constancy of foraging bees influences plant reproduction. Constancy as observed in nature arises from at least four distinct mechanisms frequently confounded in the literature: context-independent preferences for particular plant species, preferential visitation to the same species as the previous plant visited (simple constancy), the spatial arrangement of plants, and the relative abundances of co-flowering species. To disentangle these mechanisms, we followed individual bee flight paths within patches where all flowering plants were mapped, and we used step selection models to estimate how each mechanism influences the probability of selecting any particular plant given the available plants in a multi-species community. We found that simple constancy was positive: bees preferred to visit the same species sequentially. In addition, bees preferred to travel short distances and maintain their direction of travel between plants. After accounting for distance, we found no significant effect of site-level plant relative abundances on bee foraging choices. To explore the importance of the spatial arrangement of plants for bee foraging choices, we compared our full model containing all parameters to one with spatial arrangement removed. Due to bees' tendency to select nearby plants, combined with strong intraspecific plant clumping, spatial arrangement was responsible for about 50% of the total observed constancy. Our results suggest that floral constancy may be overestimated in studies that do not account for the spatial arrangement of plants, especially in systems with intraspecific plant clumping. Plant spatial patterns at within-site scales are important for pollinator foraging behavior and pollination success.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Rachael Winfree
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, USA
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Ke PJ, Levine JM. The Temporal Dimension of Plant-Soil Microbe Interactions: Mechanisms Promoting Feedback between Generations. Am Nat 2021; 198:E80-E94. [DOI: 10.1086/715577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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Loch-Temzelides T. Walrasian equilibrium behavior in nature. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2020961118. [PMID: 34183408 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020961118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction between land plants and mycorrhizal fungi (MF) forms perhaps the world's most prevalent biological market. Most plants participate in such markets, in which MF collect nutrients from the soil and trade them with host plants in exchange for carbon. In a recent study, M. D. Whiteside et al. [Curr. Biol. 29, 2043-2050.e8 (2019)] conducted experiments that allowed them to quantify the behavior of arbuscular MF when trading phosphorus with their host roots. Their experimental techniques enabled the researchers to infer the quantities traded under multiple scenarios involving different amounts of phosphorus resources initially held by different MF patches. We use these observations to confirm a revealed preference hypothesis, which characterizes behavior in Walrasian equilibrium, a centerpiece of general economic equilibrium theory.
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He Q, Pilosof S, Tiedje KE, Day KP, Pascual M. Frequency-Dependent Competition Between Strains Imparts Persistence to Perturbations in a Model of Plasmodium falciparum Malaria Transmission. Front Ecol Evol 2021; 9. [PMID: 35433714 PMCID: PMC9012452 DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.633263] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In high-transmission endemic regions, local populations of Plasmodium falciparum exhibit vast diversity of the var genes encoding its major surface antigen, with each parasite comprising multiple copies from this diverse gene pool. This strategy to evade the immune system through large combinatorial antigenic diversity is common to other hyperdiverse pathogens. It underlies a series of fundamental epidemiological characteristics, including large reservoirs of transmission from high prevalence of asymptomatics and long-lasting infections. Previous theory has shown that negative frequency-dependent selection (NFDS) mediated by the acquisition of specific immunity by hosts structures the diversity of var gene repertoires, or strains, in a pattern of limiting similarity that is both non-random and non-neutral. A combination of stochastic agent-based models and network analyses has enabled the development and testing of theory in these complex adaptive systems, where assembly of local parasite diversity occurs under frequency-dependent selection and large pools of variation. We show here the application of these approaches to theory comparing the response of the malaria transmission system to intervention when strain diversity is assembled under (competition-based) selection vs. a form of neutrality, where immunity depends only on the number but not the genetic identity of previous infections. The transmission system is considerably more persistent under NFDS, exhibiting a lower extinction probability despite comparable prevalence during intervention. We explain this pattern on the basis of the structure of strain diversity, in particular the more pronounced fraction of highly dissimilar parasites. For simulations that survive intervention, prevalence under specific immunity is lower than under neutrality, because the recovery of diversity is considerably slower than that of prevalence and decreased var gene diversity reduces parasite transmission. A Principal Component Analysis of network features describing parasite similarity reveals that despite lower overall diversity, NFDS is quickly restored after intervention constraining strain structure and maintaining patterns of limiting similarity important to parasite persistence. Given the described enhanced persistence under perturbation, intervention efforts will likely require longer times than the usual practice to eliminate P. falciparum populations. We discuss implications of our findings and potential analogies for ecological communities with non-neutral assembly processes involving frequency-dependence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qixin He
- Department of Biological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN, United States
| | - Shai Pilosof
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel
| | - Kathryn E. Tiedje
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Karen P. Day
- Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Bio21 Institute, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Mercedes Pascual
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, United States
- Correspondence: Mercedes Pascual,
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Thakur MP, van der Putten WH, Wilschut RA, Veen GFC, Kardol P, van Ruijven J, Allan E, Roscher C, van Kleunen M, Bezemer TM. Plant-Soil Feedbacks and Temporal Dynamics of Plant Diversity-Productivity Relationships. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 36:651-661. [PMID: 33888322 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.03.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2021] [Revised: 03/23/2021] [Accepted: 03/25/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Plant-soil feedback (PSF) and diversity-productivity relationships are important research fields to study drivers and consequences of changes in plant biodiversity. While studies suggest that positive plant diversity-productivity relationships can be explained by variation in PSF in diverse plant communities, key questions on their temporal relationships remain. Here, we discuss three processes that change PSF over time in diverse plant communities, and their effects on temporal dynamics of diversity-productivity relationships: spatial redistribution and changes in dominance of plant species; phenotypic shifts in plant traits; and dilution of soil pathogens and increase in soil mutualists. Disentangling these processes in plant diversity experiments will yield new insights into how plant diversity-productivity relationships change over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madhav P Thakur
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Wim H van der Putten
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO- KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Laboratory of Nematology, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rutger A Wilschut
- Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany
| | - G F Ciska Veen
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO- KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Paul Kardol
- Department of Forest Ecology and Management, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Jasper van Ruijven
- Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation Group, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Eric Allan
- Institute of Plant Sciences, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Christiane Roscher
- Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research, Physiological Diversity - UFZ, Leipzig, Germany; German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstrasse 4, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Mark van Kleunen
- Ecology, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464, Konstanz, Germany; Zhejiang Provincial Key Laboratory of Plant Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation, Taizhou University, Taizhou 318000, China
| | - T Martijn Bezemer
- Department of Terrestrial Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO- KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands; Institute of Biology, Section Plant Ecology and Phytochemistry, Leiden University, 2300, RA, Leiden, The Netherlands
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14
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Dobson A. Plant ecology: Macroparasitism in plant communities. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R287-R289. [PMID: 33756139 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.01.044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Mistletoes, lianas, vines, and epiphytes fulfill many of the population dynamic criteria of animal macroparasites. A new study illustrates elegant ways to quantify cost to the host and how this impacts competition between mistletoe species. It opens the door to a much fuller consideration of plant parasites as macroparasites.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andy Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, NM, USA.
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Jiang F, Lutz JA, Guo Q, Hao Z, Wang X, Gilbert GS, Mao Z, Orwig DA, Parker GG, Sang W, Liu Y, Tian S, Cadotte MW, Jin G. Mycorrhizal type influences plant density dependence and species richness across 15 temperate forests. Ecology 2020; 102:e03259. [PMID: 33226634 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3259] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2020] [Revised: 09/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/06/2020] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies suggest that the mycorrhizal type associated with tree species is an important trait influencing ecological processes such as response to environmental conditions and conspecific negative density dependence (CNDD). However, we lack a general understanding of how tree mycorrhizal type influences CNDD strength and the resulting patterns of species abundance and richness at larger spatial scales. We assessed 305 species across 15 large, stem-mapped, temperate forest dynamics plots in Northeastern China and North America to explore the relationships between tree mycorrhizal type and CNDD, species abundance, and species richness at a regional scale. Tree species associated with arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi showed a stronger CNDD and a more positive relationship with species abundance than did tree species associated with ectomycorrhizal (ECM) fungi. For each plot, both basal area and stem abundance of AM tree species was lower than that of ECM tree species, suggesting that AM tree species were rarer than ECM tree species. Finally, ECM tree dominance showed a negative effect on plant richness across plots. These results provide evidence that tree mycorrhizal type plays an important role in influencing CNDD and species richness, highlighting this trait as an important factor in structuring plant communities in temperate forests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Feng Jiang
- Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada
| | - James A Lutz
- Wildland Resources Department, Utah State University, Logan, Utah, UT 84322, USA
| | - Qingxi Guo
- Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.,Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
| | - Zhanqing Hao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110164, China
| | - Xugao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110164, China
| | - Gregory S Gilbert
- Environmental Studies Department, University of California, 1156 High Street, Santa Cruz, California, 95064, USA
| | - Zikun Mao
- CAS Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Management, Institute of Applied Ecology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenyang, 110164, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - David A Orwig
- Harvard Forest, Harvard University, Petersham, Massachusetts, MA 01366, USA
| | - Geoffrey G Parker
- Forest Ecology Group, Smithsonian Environmental Research Center, Edgewater, Maryland, MD 21037, USA
| | - Weiguo Sang
- Institute of Botany, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100093, China
| | - Yankun Liu
- Heilongjiang Forestry Engineering and Environment Institute, Harbin, 150040, China.,Key Laboratory of Forest Ecology and Forestry Ecological Engineering of Heilongjiang Province, Harbin, Heilongjiang, 150040, China
| | - Songyan Tian
- Heilongjiang Forestry Engineering and Environment Institute, Harbin, 150040, China.,National Positioning observation Station of Mudanjiang Forest Ecosystem in Heilongjiang Province, Mudanjiang, Muling, 157500, China
| | - Marc W Cadotte
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, M1C 1A4, Canada.,Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, M5S 1A1, Canada
| | - Guangze Jin
- Center for Ecological Research, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China.,Key Laboratory of Sustainable Forest Ecosystem Management-Ministry of Education, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, 150040, China
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