Below‐ground connections underlying above‐ground food production: a framework for optimising ecological connections in the rhizosphere

Vries, Franciska T. de; Wallenstein, Matthew D.

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12783

Cited by 202 publications

(119 citation statements)

References 94 publications

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“…In contrast to most studies, where rhizosphere diversity is actually lower than in bulk soil (reviewed in Berendsen, Pieterse, & Bakker, ; de Vries & Wallenstein, ), presumably due to the ability of only a small number of microbes to successfully compete in rhizosphere conditions (Hartmann et al., ), we found significantly greater bacterial diversity in soil associated with plant roots. We suggest this difference may be due to the fact that the bulk soil environment in those studies, predominantly in terrestrial ecosystems, is relatively benign as compared to that in the harsh intertidal.…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

“…In contrast to most studies, where rhizosphere diversity is actually lower than in bulk soil (reviewed in Berendsen, Pieterse, & Bakker, 2012;de Vries & Wallenstein, 2017), presumably due to the ability of only a small number of microbes to successfully compete in rhizosphere conditions (Hartmann et al, 2009), we found significantly greater bacterial diversity in soil associated with plant roots.…”

Section: Rhizosphere Influences On Microbial Communities Have Beencontrasting

confidence: 99%

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Strong associations between plant genotypes and bacterial communities in a natural salt marsh

Zogg

Travis

Brazeau

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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Although microbial communities have been shown to vary among plant genotypes in a number of experiments in terrestrial ecosystems, relatively little is known about this relationship under natural conditions and outside of select model systems. We reasoned that a salt marsh ecosystem, which is characterized by twice‐daily flooding by tides, would serve as a particularly conservative test of the strength of plant–microbial associations, given the high degree of abiotic regulation of microbial community assembly resulting from alternating periods of inundation and exposure. Within a salt marsh in the northeastern United States, we characterized genotypes of the foundational plant Spartina alterniflora using microsatellite markers, and bacterial metagenomes within marsh soil based on pyrosequencing. We found significant differences in bacterial community composition and diversity between bulk and rhizosphere soil, and that the structure of rhizosphere communities varied depending on the growth form of, and genetic variation within, the foundational plant S. alterniflora. Our results indicate that there are strong plant–microbial associations within a natural salt marsh, thereby contributing to a growing body of evidence for a relationship between plant genotypes and microbial communities from terrestrial ecosystems and suggest that principles of community genetics apply to this wetland type.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 99%

Section: Rhizosphere Influences On Microbial Communities Have Beencontrasting

confidence: 99%

Strong associations between plant genotypes and bacterial communities in a natural salt marsh

Zogg

Travis

Brazeau

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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“…The diversity of organisms associated with plant roots is enormous, and, as argued by De Vries & Wallenstein (), ecological interactions between plant roots and microbial and faunal networks are critical determinants of soil function and plant health. But they go a step further.…”

Section: Plant–soil (Below‐ground) Interactionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant ecological solutions to global food security

Bardgett

Gibson

2017

Journal of Ecology

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Summary 1.As global climate changes and the world population increases, agriculture faces an enormous challenge to increase food production in an equitable and sustainable manner. Principles and concepts derived directly from plant ecological research can help meet this challenge. 2. This series of 10 mini-reviews considers some of the key ways that plant ecologists can help inform and contribute to meeting this challenge. 3. The papers are grouped into three main themes of plant ecology, namely plant community diversity and structure, plant population dynamics and plant interactions, and plant-soil (below-ground) interactions. 4. Synthesis. We identify a number of important knowledge gaps in areas where plant ecological research can contribute towards improving yield, nutrition, ecosystem services and environmental resilience of agricultural systems. However, the adoption of plant ecological principles in sustainable agriculture will require practical approaches to their implementation along with improved understanding of social and economic barriers.

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“…Agronomic practices, such as tillage, irrigation and other inputs (e.g. pesticides, fertilizer), influence the below-ground diversity and function of soil microbes (Vries & Wallenstein, 2017), however, it is less clear if crops themselves cultivate different below-ground interactions compared to their wild relatives. Crops have reduced genetic diversity, which could influence the type, strength or diversity of interactions experienced belowground (Pérez-Jaramillo et al, 2016), and differences in root architecture (Schmidt, Bowles, & Gaudin, 2016) and root exudates (Iannucci, Fragasso, Beleggia, Nigro, & Papa, 2017) among crops and wild relatives can be pronounced.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Domesticated tomatoes are more vulnerable to negative plant–soil feedbacks than their wild relatives

Carrillo

Ingwell

et al. 2019

Journal of Ecology

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Domesticated plants can differ from their wild counterparts in the strength and outcome of species interactions, both above‐ and belowground. Plant–soil feedbacks influence plant success, and plant‐associated soil microbial communities can influence plant interactions with herbivores and their natural enemies, yet, it remains unclear if domestication has changed these relationships. To determine the effects of domestication on plant–soil interactions, we characterized soil microbial communities associated with various cultivars of domesticated tomato and some of its wild relatives. We measured the strength and direction of plant–soil feedbacks for domesticated and wild tomatoes, and the effects of soil on plant resistance to specialist herbivory by Manduca sexta, and the attraction of a parasitoid wasp, Cotesia congregata. Domesticated tomatoes and their wild relatives had negative plant–soil feedbacks, as conspecifics cultivated soil that negatively impacted performance of subsequent plants (longer germination time, lower biomass) than if they grew in non‐tomato soils. Significant variation existed among domesticated and wild tomato varieties in the strength of these feedbacks, ranging from neutral to strongly negative. For above‐ground plant biomass, tomato wild relatives were unaffected by growing in tomato‐conditioned soil, whereas domesticated tomatoes grew smaller in tomato soil, indicating effects of plant domestication. Overall, increased microbial biomass within the rhizosphere resulted in progressively less‐negative plant–soil feedbacks. Plant cultivars had different levels of resistance to herbivory by M. sexta, but this did not depend on plant domestication or soil type. The parasitoid C. congregata was primarily attracted to herbivore damaged plants, independent of plant domestication status, and for these damaged plants, wasps preferred some cultivars over others, and wild plants grown in tomato soil over wild plants grown in non‐tomato soil. Synthesis. These results indicate that crop tomatoes are more likely to show negative plant–soil feedbacks than wild progenitors, which could partially explain their sensitivity to monocultures in agricultural soils. Furthermore, cultivar‐specific variation in the ability to generate soil microbial biomass, independent of domestication status, appears to buffer the negative consequences of sharing the same soil. Last, soil legacies were relatively absent for herbivores, but not for parasitoid wasps, suggesting trophic level specificity in soil feedbacks on plant–insect interactions.

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Below‐ground connections underlying above‐ground food production: a framework for optimising ecological connections in the rhizosphere

Cited by 202 publications

References 94 publications

Strong associations between plant genotypes and bacterial communities in a natural salt marsh

Strong associations between plant genotypes and bacterial communities in a natural salt marsh

Plant ecological solutions to global food security

Domesticated tomatoes are more vulnerable to negative plant–soil feedbacks than their wild relatives

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