Early developmental plasticity of lateral roots in response to asymmetric water availability

Abstract

Root branching is influenced by the soil environment and exhibits a high level of plasticity. We report that the radial positioning of emerging lateral roots is influenced by their hydrological environment during early developmental stages. New lateral root primordia have both a high degree of flexibility in terms of initiation and development angle towards the available water. Our observations reveal how the external hydrological environment regulates lateral root morphogenesis. Main textThe soil environment contains a variety of niches for a growing root to explore. This complex environment consists of nutrient rich areas, air pockets, stones etc. and strongly varies in its moisture distribution, to which we refer as the hydrological landscape. The ability of a root system to absorb water and nutrients efficiently from a heterogeneous medium depends on its architecture and its ability to adapt to the available potential resources 1 . For example, plants generate lateral roots in nutrient rich patches and reduce branching in dry areas 2,3 . Similarly, roots emerge on that side of the primary root, which is in contact with moisture, a mechanism called hydropatterning 4,5 . Here we show that lateral root morphogenesis is steered by the available moisture during lateral root primordia initiation, while outgrowth stages and plasticity in organogenesis are likely directed by lateral root flanking cells.

From one cell to many: Morphogenetic field of lateral root founder cells in Arabidopsis thaliana is built by gradual recruitment

“…Root developmental plasticity results from a number of components, including a variable number of participating FC files, nonstereotypical pattern formation, and a flexible morphogenetic response to available water (13,14,34). In this study, we revealed an additional plasticity component related to the absence of a specific pattern and sequence of FC recruitment.…”

Biochar Application Mitigates the Effect of Heat Stress on Rice (Oryza sativa L.) by Regulating the Root-Zone Environment

“…This was because biochar application facilitated the growth of many more lateral roots with smaller diameter in the rice plants ( Figure 8 ). This observation indicates that biochar application improved root architecture because the lateral roots are critical to allowing the plants to take up water and minerals effectively ( von Wangenheim et al, 2020 ). Auxin is required for lateral root formation.…”

Plant multiscale networks: charting plant connectivity by multi-level analysis and imaging techniques

“…Based on approaches with high-speed acquisition rates and minimal photodamage to the biological sample, researchers collected long-term and in-depth data at subcellular resolution to probe the spatiotemporal pattern of the cellular landscape (Ovečka et al, 2018). A 3D rendering of the cellular landscape in the lateral root (LR) was captured for unmasking how the external hydrological environment regulates LR morphogenesis (von Wangenheim et al, 2020). In addition, LR morphogenesis was detected by application of LSFM, showing that the interaction with overlying tissues, rather than the precise pattern of cell division, is critical for LR primordia morphogenesis and optimizes the process of LR emergence (Lucas et al, 2013a).…”