Plant life history and above–belowground interactions: missing links

Abstract

The importance of above–belowground interactions for plant growth and community dynamics became clear in the last decades, whereas the numerous studies on plant life history improved our knowledge on eco‐evolutionary dynamics. However, surprisingly few studies have linked both research fields despite their potential to increase our mechanistic understanding of how above belowground interactions are governed. Here I briefly review studies on above–belowground interactions and plant life history and identify important research gaps. To advance our understanding of ecological strategies and eco‐evolutionary dynamics of plants and their associated organisms it is warranted to elucidate the interconnectivity and tradeoffs of plant life history traits of growth, defence, reproduction, nutrient cycling and the functional composition of above‐ and belowground heterotrophic communities. Using the concept of tradeoffs in growth, reproduction and defence we can postulate that plants in rich soil grow, reproduce and die fast whilst avoiding above‐ and belowground antagonists, whereas plants in poor soil grow slow, live and reproduce longer and invest in above‐ and belowground mutualists and defences. However, alternative scenarios are possible and depend on the selection pressure by above‐ and belowground mutualists and antagonists during plant ontogeny and via after‐life effects. To elucidate missing links between life history traits and above–belowground interactions, complementary modelling and empirical studies are needed that reveal the coupling between below‐ and aboveground plant traits of growth, defence and reproduction, their heritability and their cost/benefit relation. These cost/benefit analyses of defence should span from individuals to future generations, taking feedback effects via altered biotic communities and resource competition into account. The role of soil fertility in steering plant life history traits requires explicit testing of trans‐generational trait shifts in growth, defence, reproduction, cost/benefit of associations with mutualists and antagonists and soil feedbacks across plant genotypes/species with distinct life history traits, grown across soil fertility gradients.

Nematode communities, plant nutrient economy and life‐cycle characteristics jointly determine plant monoculture performance over 12 years

“…So far, little is known about the interplay of soil biota (nematodes and AMF), plant nutrient economy and life‐cycle characteristics, leading to productivity changes over long time in monocultures (de Deyn ). To test how these potential drivers are related to different performances of plant species growing in monoculture, we studied the changes in aboveground biomass production over 12 years of 60 grassland species in monocultures in a large biodiversity experiment (‘Monoculture experiment’ as part of the Jena Experiment).…”

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

“…Negative plant-soil feedbacks beyond nutrient depletion can occur, for example through the build-up of pests and pathogens (Bever, 2003;Klironomos, 2002), or due to reductions in beneficial associations (Bever, 2002;Ehrenfeld, Ravit, & Elgersma, 2005). Importantly, plant-soil feedbacks can drive community composition (Bennett et al, 2017;Teste et al, 2017) and promote species coexistence (Chung & Rudgers, 2016;Lekberg et al, 2018;Van der Putten et al, 2013), and may be a result of plant lifehistory strategies (De Deyn, 2016). As such, it is likely that humanmediated selection via crop domestication has influenced plant-soil feedbacks in agricultural systems.…”

Live long and prosper: plant–soil feedback, lifespan, and landscape abundance covary

“…, Fitzpatrick et al. , Deyn , Sweet and Burns ). For example, PSFs are thought to become less negative for later‐successional species (Kardol et al.…”

“…In addition to measuring and testing the importance of PSF in field conditions, a second major goal of PSF research over the past several years has been to identify patterns in PSF associated with plant traits (Baxendale et al 2014, Ke et al 2015, Fitzpatrick et al 2016, Deyn 2017, Sweet and Burns 2017. For example, PSFs are thought to become less negative for later-successional species (Kardol et al 2006).…”