Plant N economics and the extended phenotype: Integrating the functional traits of plants and associated soil biota into plant–plant interactions

Fernández, M.a Concepción Sánchez; Vernay, Antoine; Henneron, Ludovic; Adamik, Larissa; Malagoli, Philippe; Balandier, Philippe

doi:10.1111/1365-2745.13934

Cited by 11 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 280 publications

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“…Another reason for blurred effects could be bi- or multi-directional N transfer in mycorrhizal networks (Carlsson et al 2009 ), for example N in small shares can also be transferred from a non-legume to the legume or between non-legumes. To elucidate N cycles in communities in even more depth, investigations of belowground mechanisms during the experimental period are necessary (Fernandez et al 2022 ). Such knowledge enables us to understand N facilitation in more detail and add to the mechanistic understanding of altered N cycling in the presence of different alien plant species.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legume effects in a native community invaded by alien Asteraceae in a multi-species comparison

2023

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Facilitation has been a long-neglected type of interaction but received more attention recently. Legumes are commonly involved in facilitative interactions due to their nitrogen fixation. Facilitative interactions are so far underappreciated yet potentially important for biological invasions, especially given increasing numbers of alien species. In a common garden experiment using 30 annual Asteraceae species (neophytes, archaeophytes, plus some natives), grown in communities with or without legume presence, we measured functional traits and fitness in focal Asteraceae, as well as nitrogen characteristics of Asteraceae and two native community phytometer species. We investigated how legume presence affects relationships between trait and nitrogen concentration and Asteraceae fitness; and whether mechanisms of facilitation in legume presence and its effects on aboveground performance differ among native phytometer, neophyte, and archaeophyte Asteraceae using the δ15N natural abundance method. Lower specific leaf area was associated with higher aboveground biomass and seed production, with a stronger effect in legume absence. Nitrogen concentration had a positive relationship with biomass, but did not generally increase seed production. Our results hint at N facilitation for the native grass phytometer Festuca rupicola when growing in legume presence, whereas the forb Potentilla argentea and 27 alien Asteraceae species did not indicate facilitative effects. Intriguingly, direct legume facilitation in native phytometer species was only detected when growing with archaeophytes neighbors, not with neophytes. This hints at varied mechanisms of competition for nitrogen between natives and alien species of different residence time and deepens the understanding of altered facilitative leguminous effects in alien species presence.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Legume effects in a native community invaded by alien Asteraceae in a multi-species comparison

2023

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“…Building on the recent scientific advances, we propose a framework with four systems capable of synchronizing the soil nutrient supply to plant demand at a range of time scales (from hours to seasons). Two systems (Sync‐FreeOM, Sync‐Inorganic) are based on plant‐products such as litter or nodule‐supporting tissues of legumes, and microbial symbionts that tightly interact with plant roots such that they can be considered as the extended phenotype of certain plants (Fernandez et al., 2022). For the remaining systems (Sync‐MAOM, Sync‐Market), synchrony emerges from diffuse interactions between distinct functional types of microbes and plants and therefore can be considered as ecosystemic regulations.…”

Section: Influence Of Abiotic and Biotic Factors On Synchronymentioning

confidence: 99%

Plant–soil synchrony in nutrient cycles: Learning from ecosystems to design sustainable agrosystems

Fontaine,

Abbadie,

Aubert

et al. 2023

Global Change Biology

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Redesigning agrosystems to include more ecological regulations can help feed a growing human population, preserve soils for future productivity, limit dependency on synthetic fertilizers, and reduce agriculture contribution to global changes such as eutrophication and warming. However, guidelines for redesigning cropping systems from natural systems to make them more sustainable remain limited. Synthetizing the knowledge on biogeochemical cycles in natural ecosystems, we outline four ecological systems that synchronize the supply of soluble nutrients by soil biota with the fluctuating nutrient demand of plants. This synchrony limits deficiencies and excesses of soluble nutrients, which usually penalize both production and regulating services of agrosystems such as nutrient retention and soil carbon storage. In the ecological systems outlined, synchrony emerges from plant–soil and plant–plant interactions, eco‐physiological processes, soil physicochemical processes, and the dynamics of various nutrient reservoirs, including soil organic matter, soil minerals, atmosphere, and a common market. We discuss the relative importance of these ecological systems in regulating nutrient cycles depending on the pedoclimatic context and on the functional diversity of plants and microbes. We offer ideas about how these systems could be stimulated within agrosystems to improve their sustainability. A review of the latest advances in agronomy shows that some of the practices suggested to promote synchrony (e.g., reduced tillage, rotation with perennial plant cover, crop diversification) have already been tested and shown to be effective in reducing nutrient losses, fertilizer use, and N2O emissions and/or improving biomass production and soil carbon storage. Our framework also highlights new management strategies and defines the conditions for the success of these nature‐based practices allowing for site‐specific modifications. This new synthetized knowledge should help practitioners to improve the long‐term productivity of agrosystems while reducing the negative impact of agriculture on the environment and the climate.

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“…When plant dependency on soil microbes is strong, it can lead to symbiotic relationships, such as the well‐studied plant interactions with rhizobium for atmospheric N 2 fixation or with mycorrhizal fungi (Heath & Grillo, 2016; Petipas et al ., 2021; Magnoli & Bever, 2023). Beyond the tight host‐symbiont associations, plants can also interact with free‐living microorganisms belonging to functional groups (or guilds) that transform N in the soil (Fernandez et al ., 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Johnson et al ., 2010; Rekret & Maherali, 2019). Much less is known when it comes to nonsymbiotic associations that affect plant nutrition, particularly plant interactions with soil microbial functional groups involved in N cycling, like nitrifiers and denitrifiers (Fitzpatrick et al ., 2020; Fernandez et al ., 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Can plants build their niche through modulation of soil microbial activities linked with nitrogen cycling? A test with Arabidopsis thaliana

Przybylska,

Violle,

Vile

et al. 2024

New Phytologist

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Summary In natural systems, different plant species have been shown to modulate specific nitrogen (N) cycling processes so as to meet their N demand, thereby potentially influencing their own niche. This phenomenon might go beyond plant interactions with symbiotic microorganisms and affect the much less explored plant interactions with free‐living microorganisms involved in soil N cycling, such as nitrifiers and denitrifiers. Here, we investigated variability in the modulation of soil nitrifying and denitrifying enzyme activities (NEA and DEA, respectively), and their ratio (NEA : DEA), across 193 Arabidopsis thaliana accessions. We studied the genetic and environmental determinants of such plant–soil interactions, and effects on plant biomass production in the next generation. We found that NEA, DEA, and NEA : DEA varied c. 30‐, 15‐ and 60‐fold, respectively, among A. thaliana genotypes and were related to genes linked with stress response, flowering, and nitrate nutrition, as well as to soil parameters at the geographic origin of the analysed genotypes. Moreover, plant‐mediated N cycling activities correlated with the aboveground biomass of next‐generation plants in home vs away nonautoclaved soil, suggesting a transgenerational impact of soil biotic conditioning on plant performance. Altogether, these findings suggest that nutrient‐based plant niche construction may be much more widespread than previously thought.

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Plant N economics and the extended phenotype: Integrating the functional traits of plants and associated soil biota into plant–plant interactions

Cited by 11 publications

References 280 publications

Legume effects in a native community invaded by alien Asteraceae in a multi-species comparison

Legume effects in a native community invaded by alien Asteraceae in a multi-species comparison

Plant–soil synchrony in nutrient cycles: Learning from ecosystems to design sustainable agrosystems

Can plants build their niche through modulation of soil microbial activities linked with nitrogen cycling? A test with Arabidopsis thaliana

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