scholarly journals Plant–soil feedbacks between arbuscular- and ecto-mycorrhizal communities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kohmei Kadowaki ◽  
Satoshi Yamamoto ◽  
Hirotoshi Sato ◽  
Akifumi S. Tanabe ◽  
Amane Hidaka ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Mycorrhizal Plant ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Adult Trees ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Seedling Community

AbstractSoil microbiomes of adult trees exert species-specific effects on the survival and growth of seedlings1-6, yet empirical evidence that such plant–soil microbiome interaction drives seedling community assembly remains scarce. Here we show that mycorrhizal fungal communities determine seedling community assembly by controlling how resident plant communities alter the growth of newly established seedlings. We reciprocally introduced seedling communities of arbuscular-and ecto-mycorrhizal plant species to replicated mesocosms to follow the effects of mycorrhizal type match/mismatch with resident plant communities on seedling growth rates. The growth rates of recruited seedlings were generally higher under resident trees of the same mycorrhizal types than under those of different mycorrhizal types, generating positive plant–soil feedbacks through mycorrhizal-type matching. Such positive effects of matching were linked with seedlings’ greater acquisition rates of mycorrhizal symbionts from matched resident plants than from mismatched plants, and such linkage was pronounced for ecto-mycorrhizal plant species. In contrast, under the condition of mycorrhizal-type matching between resident plants and seedlings (i.e., within-mycorrhizal-type comparison), plant–soil feedback effects varied considerably in their sign and strength among resident–seedling species combinations. Consequently, the assembly of a temperate tree seedling community is driven by a combination of species-specific plant–soil feedbacks and the match/mismatch of mycorrhizal type between resident plants and seedlings.

scholarly journals Functional Ecology of Iceplant Taxa and Their Role in Eco-restoration of New Zealand Sand Dunes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Guyo Duba Gufu
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Intergeneric Hybrid ◽  
Leaf Production ◽  
Natural Plant ◽  
Carpobrotus Edulis

<p>Biological invasion by non-native plant species has often been cited as a cause of native biodiversity loss. While the outcome of species invasions depends on interactions between exotic and resident native species, most studies of biological invasions have focused solely on the direct negative impacts of non-indigenous species on native biota. Although investigations of the role of competition in shaping natural plant communities were dominant in the previous generations and are still popular, more recent experimental research has uncovered the striking influence of facilitation on community dynamics. This thesis aims to investigate competitive and facilitative influence of the invasive South African iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis) on Spinifex sericeus, a native foredune grass species, with particular reference to implications of these interactions for dune restoration in New Zealand. It further explores the growth rates, substrate preferences and mating systems of the exotic and native iceplant taxa found in New Zealand. I begin by briefly outlining the influence of competition and facilitation on natural plant communities with reference to the role of facilitation in eco-restoration. I also give a few examples where exotic species have been found to facilitate native ones. Secondly, a neighbour removal experiment was conducted on coastal sand dunes with the main aim of studying the effects of Carpobrotus edulis on establishment of Spinifex sericeus at the foredune region. Finally, I compared the growth rates of the most widely distributed iceplant taxa in New Zealand in different substrates and the breeding systems of the exotic Carpobrotus.  Examples abound in literature of exotic plant species facilitating native ones especially in forestry. In the neighbour removal study, Carpobrotus edulis protected Spinifex seedlings against storm erosion, sandblasting and salt sprays while at the same time suppressing its leaf production. Suppression of Spinifex leaf production was more pronounced at top of the dune where stress elements is presumably more benign. There was no evidence of allelopathic suppression of Spinifex by C. edulis. Only Carpobrotus chilensis displayed some level of substrate preference by putting on relatively lower biomass in gravel. The exotic Carpobrotus spp. put on greater dry matter content than the native Disphyma australe and the Carpobrotus-x-Disphyma hybrid. The hybrid displayed a faster vegetative growth rate whereas D. australe allocated relatively more biomass to the roots than the shoot. Both Carpobrotus spp. are self compatible and highly capable of intrageneric and intergeneric hybridisation. Mass removal of the existing exotic iceplant stands from foredunes along high energy coasts is not advisable as they serve as useful stabilisers. The intergeneric hybrid is sexually sterile with sparsely spread stolons that could allow co-occurrence with other species and therefore is more suitable for foredune stabilisation. However, more research needs to be conducted on the ecology of the intergeneric hybrid.</p>

scholarly journals Evidence of within-species specialization by soil microbes and the implications for plant community diversity

2019 ◽  
Vol 116 (15) ◽  
pp. 7371-7376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jenalle L. Eck ◽  
Simon M. Stump ◽  
Camille S. Delavaux ◽  
Scott A. Mangan ◽  
Liza S. Comita
Keyword(s):  
Microbial Community ◽  
Seed Dispersal ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Soil Microbial Community ◽  
Soil Microbes ◽  
Wild Plant ◽  
Soil Microbial ◽  
Species Specific

Microbes are thought to maintain diversity in plant communities by specializing on particular species, but it is not known whether microbes that specialize within species (i.e., on genotypes) affect diversity or dynamics in plant communities. Here we show that soil microbes can specialize at the within-population level in a wild plant species, and that such specialization could promote species diversity and seed dispersal in plant communities. In a shadehouse experiment in Panama, we found that seedlings of the native tree species, Virola surinamensis (Myristicaceae), had reduced performance in the soil microbial community of their maternal tree compared with in the soil microbial community of a nonmaternal tree from the same population. Performance differences were unrelated to soil nutrients or to colonization by mycorrhizal fungi, suggesting that highly specialized pathogens were the mechanism reducing seedling performance in maternal soils. We then constructed a simulation model to explore the ecological and evolutionary consequences of genotype-specific pathogens in multispecies plant communities. Model results indicated that genotype-specific pathogens promote plant species coexistence—albeit less strongly than species-specific pathogens—and are most effective at maintaining species richness when genetic diversity is relatively low. Simulations also revealed that genotype-specific pathogens select for increased seed dispersal relative to species-specific pathogens, potentially helping to create seed dispersal landscapes that allow pathogens to more effectively promote diversity. Combined, our results reveal that soil microbes can specialize within wild plant populations, affecting seedling performance near conspecific adults and influencing plant community dynamics on ecological and evolutionary time scales.

scholarly journals Drought alters plant‐soil feedback effects on biomass allocation but not on plant performance

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rutger A. Wilschut ◽  
Mark van Kleunen
Keyword(s):  
Soil Moisture ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Biomass Allocation ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Control Soil ◽  
Feedback Effects ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Soil Feedback ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Relative Root

Abstract Aims Drought events can alter the composition of plant and soil communities, and are becoming increasingly common and severe due to climate change. However, how droughts affect plant-soil feedbacks is still poorly understood. Plants accumulate species-specific rhizosphere communities, and droughts may have varying impacts across plant species and soil biota. We therefore tested the hypothesis that drought alters plant-soil feedbacks differently among closely related plant species that differ in their preferences for soil moisture. Methods In a two-phase greenhouse experiment, we first conditioned grassland soil with seven Geranium species and, as controls, we conditioned soil with a grass species or left soil unplanted. In the second phase, we grew the Geranium species in conspecific, grass-conditioned and unplanted soil, maintained soil moisture at 5 %, 10 % or 20 % (w/w), and determined biomass responses after 35 days. Results Independent of conditioning, plants showed a weaker performance with decreasing soil moisture. Under the driest conditions, soil conditioning by conspecifics most negatively affected relative root weight in comparison to plants growing in unplanted control soil, while the effects of conspecific conditioning on relative root weights were species-specific when compared to plants grown in grass-conditioned control soil. Conclusions We conclude that decreased soil moisture modified plant-soil feedback effects on biomass allocation, and that these modifications acted in species-specific ways. However, drought effects on plant-soil feedbacks were subtle, and did not affect overall plant performance. Therefore, plant-soil feedback effects on plant performance during a drought event may be limited in comparison with the direct effects of drought.

scholarly journals Allelopathic effects of Epichloë fungal endophytes: experiment and meta-analysis

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather A Hager ◽  
Maija Gailis ◽  
Jonathan A Newman
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Fungal Endophytes ◽  
Plant Performance ◽  
Allelopathic Effect ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Plant Soil ◽  
Response Measures ◽  
Allelopathic Effects ◽  
Neighbouring Plant

Host-specific Epichloë spp. endophytic fungal symbionts of pooid grasses that produce herbivore-deterring alkaloids and alter the grass host's metabolite and protein profiles. Early observations suggested that Epichloë may have negative allelopathic effects on neighbouring plant species, particularly Trifolium spp. clovers, but subsequent allelopathy tests produced variable results. We examined two hypotheses: (1) Epichloë strains differ in allelopathic effect, and (2) Epichloë allelopathy negatively affects other plant species. We performed a greenhouse experiment using root exudates from Lolium perenne L. hosting different E. festucae var. lolii (Latch, M.J. Chr. & Samuels) C.W. Bacon & Schardl strains to compare their allelopathic effects on native legumes and forbs. We then used meta-analysis to examine the evidence to date for allelopathic effects of Epichloë endophytes. We found little difference in effect among E. festucae var. lolii strains and very little evidence for negative allelopathic effects of Epichloë in cool-season grasses across a range of methodologies, target plant species, and response measures. Negative allelopathic effects were detected only for root hair measures, which were from a single study. Positive effects on biomass were found for some experimental subgroups, including legumes. However, the majority of response variables showed no evidence for Epichloë allelopathy. Although there is currently little evidence for negative Epichloë allelopathic effects, our meta-analysis identified several research gaps. Experiments testing the functional belowground effects of Epichloë presence may help to determine its effects on non-host plant performance via plant-soil feedbacks.

Aboveground herbivores drive stronger plant species-specific feedback than belowground fungi to regulate tree community assembly

Oecologia ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 195 (3) ◽  
pp. 773-784
Author(s):  
Kohmei Kadowaki ◽  
Satoshi Yamamoto ◽  
Hirotoshi Sato ◽  
Akifumi S. Tanabe ◽  
Hirokazu Toju
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Tree Community ◽  
Specific Feedback ◽  
Species Specific

The Impact of Animals on Species Diversity in Arid-Land Plant Communities

2005 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew Wilby ◽  
Bertrand Boeken
Keyword(s):  
Species Diversity ◽  
Species Composition ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Ecosystem Engineering ◽  
Physical Structure ◽  
Plant Species Diversity ◽  
Arid Ecosystems ◽  
Animal Activity

There are many mechanisms whereby animal activity can directly or indirectly influence the species diversity of plant communities. Most obviously, herbivory can influence the species composition directly through plant mortality or indirectly by changing the outcome of interspecific competition (Hulme 1996). Animals may also affect plant species composition by modifying the physical structure of the environment such that the flow of resources required for plant growth is altered. Such physical effects mediated by the physical structure of the environment have been termed ‘ecosystem engineering’ (defined in table 11.1; Jones et al. 1994, 1997, Lawton 1994, Lawton and Jones 1995). Animals may have other functions that influence the persistence of populations (e.g., pollination) or the colonization of new sites (seed dispersal). In this chapter we aim to provide an overview of how these diverse effects of animals influence plant species diversity, and to this end, we propose community assembly theory as a conceptual framework. Community assembly theory provides us with a schematic representation of the vital steps involved in the determination of species presence or absence at a particular site. By asking how might animal activity influence each of the steps of assembly, we ensure a comprehensive outlook on how animals affect plant species diversity. That said, we restrict ourselves in this chapter to ecological mechanisms and we do not consider evolutionary effects that are of undoubted importance at higher levels of spatial and temporal scales. Following our discussion of animal effects on community assembly, we highlight two case studies of herbivores arising from recent research in Israel. We use insights provided by these examples to suggest mechanisms that are likely to be of particular importance in arid ecosystems. For example, we suggest that since the flow of water, the primary limiting factor in these systems, is so easily influenced by structural changes in the environment, physical ecosystem engineering may be a relatively important, though previously neglected, interaction type in arid ecosystems. The processes governing which species occur in a particular plant community can be summarized very simply.

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 Species-specific adaptations determine how aridity and biotic interactions drive the assembly of dryland plant communities

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Miguel Berdugo ◽  
Fernando T. Maestre ◽  
Sonia Kéfi ◽  
Nicolas Gross ◽  
Yoann Le Bagousse-Pinguet ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Community ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Species Distribution ◽  
Community Assembly ◽  
Species Distribution Models ◽  
List Type ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Distribution Models ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Plant Community Assembly

AbstractDespite being a core ecological question, disentangling individual and interacting effects of plant-plant interactions, abiotic factors and species-specific adaptations as drivers of community assembly is challenging. Studies addressing this issue are growing rapidly, but they generally lack empirical data regarding species interactions and local abundances, or cover a narrow range of environmental conditions.We analysed species distribution models and local spatial patterns to isolate the relative importance of key abiotic (aridity) and biotic (facilitation and competition) drivers of plant community assembly in drylands worldwide. We examined the relative importance of these drivers along aridity gradients and used information derived from the niches of species to understand the role that species-specific adaptations to aridity play in modulating the importance of community assembly drivers.Facilitation, together with aridity, was the major driver of plant community assembly in global drylands. Due to community specialization, the importance of facilitation as an assembly driver decreased with aridity, and became non significant at the border between arid and semiarid climates. Under the most arid conditions, competition affected species abundances in communities dominated by specialist species. Due to community specialization, the importance of aridity in shaping dryland plant communities peaked at moderate aridity levels.Synthesis: We showed that competition is an important driver of community assembly even under harsh environments, and that the effect of facilitation collapses as driver of species relative abundances under high aridity because of the specialization of the species pool to extremely dry conditions. Our findings pave the way to develop more robust species distribution models aiming to predict the consequences of ongoing climate change on community assembly in drylands, the largest biome on Earth.

scholarly journals Functional Ecology of Iceplant Taxa and Their Role in Eco-restoration of New Zealand Sand Dunes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
◽  
Guyo Duba Gufu
Keyword(s):  
New Zealand ◽  
Plant Species ◽  
Plant Communities ◽  
Growth Rates ◽  
Sand Dunes ◽  
Intergeneric Hybrid ◽  
Leaf Production ◽  
Natural Plant ◽  
Carpobrotus Edulis

<p>Biological invasion by non-native plant species has often been cited as a cause of native biodiversity loss. While the outcome of species invasions depends on interactions between exotic and resident native species, most studies of biological invasions have focused solely on the direct negative impacts of non-indigenous species on native biota. Although investigations of the role of competition in shaping natural plant communities were dominant in the previous generations and are still popular, more recent experimental research has uncovered the striking influence of facilitation on community dynamics. This thesis aims to investigate competitive and facilitative influence of the invasive South African iceplant (Carpobrotus edulis) on Spinifex sericeus, a native foredune grass species, with particular reference to implications of these interactions for dune restoration in New Zealand. It further explores the growth rates, substrate preferences and mating systems of the exotic and native iceplant taxa found in New Zealand. I begin by briefly outlining the influence of competition and facilitation on natural plant communities with reference to the role of facilitation in eco-restoration. I also give a few examples where exotic species have been found to facilitate native ones. Secondly, a neighbour removal experiment was conducted on coastal sand dunes with the main aim of studying the effects of Carpobrotus edulis on establishment of Spinifex sericeus at the foredune region. Finally, I compared the growth rates of the most widely distributed iceplant taxa in New Zealand in different substrates and the breeding systems of the exotic Carpobrotus.  Examples abound in literature of exotic plant species facilitating native ones especially in forestry. In the neighbour removal study, Carpobrotus edulis protected Spinifex seedlings against storm erosion, sandblasting and salt sprays while at the same time suppressing its leaf production. Suppression of Spinifex leaf production was more pronounced at top of the dune where stress elements is presumably more benign. There was no evidence of allelopathic suppression of Spinifex by C. edulis. Only Carpobrotus chilensis displayed some level of substrate preference by putting on relatively lower biomass in gravel. The exotic Carpobrotus spp. put on greater dry matter content than the native Disphyma australe and the Carpobrotus-x-Disphyma hybrid. The hybrid displayed a faster vegetative growth rate whereas D. australe allocated relatively more biomass to the roots than the shoot. Both Carpobrotus spp. are self compatible and highly capable of intrageneric and intergeneric hybridisation. Mass removal of the existing exotic iceplant stands from foredunes along high energy coasts is not advisable as they serve as useful stabilisers. The intergeneric hybrid is sexually sterile with sparsely spread stolons that could allow co-occurrence with other species and therefore is more suitable for foredune stabilisation. However, more research needs to be conducted on the ecology of the intergeneric hybrid.</p>

scholarly journals The Effect of an Anthropogenic Magnetic Field on the Early Developmental Stages of Fishes—A Review

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (3) ◽  
pp. 1210
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Formicki ◽  
Agata Korzelecka-Orkisz ◽  
Adam Tański
Keyword(s):  
Magnetic Fields ◽  
Developmental Stages ◽  
Negative Influence ◽  
Pigment Cells ◽  
Egg Activation ◽  
Industrial Equipment ◽  
Positive Effects ◽  
Early Developmental Stages ◽  
Species Specific ◽  
Early Developmental

The number of sources of anthropogenic magnetic and electromagnetic fields generated by various underwater facilities, industrial equipment, and transferring devices in aquatic environment is increasing. These have an effect on an array of fish life processes, but especially the early developmental stages. The magnitude of these effects depends on field strength and time of exposure and is species-specific. We review studies on the effect of magnetic fields on the course of embryogenesis, with special reference to survival, the size of the embryos, embryonic motor function, changes in pigment cells, respiration hatching, and directional reactions. We also describe the effect of magnetic fields on sperm motility and egg activation. Magnetic fields can exert positive effects, as in the case of the considerable extension of sperm capability of activation, or have a negative influence in the form of a disturbance in heart rate or developmental instability in inner ear organs.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document