Nitrogen deposition further increases Ambrosia trifida root exudate invasiveness under global warming

Abstract

Invasive plants can change the soil ecological environment in the invasion area to adapt to their growth and reproduction through root exudates. Root exudates are the most direct manifestation of plant responses to external environmental changes, but there is a lack of studies on root exudates of invasive plants in the context of inevitable global warming and nitrogen deposition. In this research, we used widely targeted metabolomics to investigate Ambrosia trifida root exudates during seedling and maturity under warming and nitrogen deposition to reveal the possible mechanisms of A. trifida adaptation to climate change. The results showed that the organic acids increased under warming condition but decreased after nitrogen addition in the seedling stage. Phenolic acids increased greatly after nitrogen addition in the mature stage. Most phenolic acids were annotated in the phenylpropane metabolic pathway and tyrosine metabolism. Therefore, nitrogen deposition may increase the adaptability of A. trifida through root exudates, making it more invasive under global warming. The results provide new ideas for preventing and controlling the invasion of A. trifida under climate change.

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“…Primary metabolitesinclude sugars, amino acids, and organic acids that are passively exuded into the soil through specific efflux channels along a concentration gradient, mostly occurring at the root trip (Canarini et al, 2019). Following source-sink dynamics, plants and microbes can both modulate diffusion of primary metabolites by increasing the concentration of primary metabolites in the plant (Xu et al, 2023), or microbes depleting primary metabolites in the soil. The root tip senses primary metabolite concentrations in the soil, relaying information on both plant nutrient status and nutrient availability in the surrounding environment.…”

“…The root tip senses primary metabolite concentrations in the soil, relaying information on both plant nutrient status and nutrient availability in the surrounding environment. Primary exudates can be upregulated by the plant in response to nutrient deficiency in the soil (Xu et al, 2023).…”