Resuscitation of the microbial seed bank alters plant-soil interactions

Abstract

0While microorganisms are recognized for driving belowground processes that influence the productivity and fitness of plant populations, the vast majority of bacteria and fungi in soil 1 2 belong to a "seed bank" made up of dormant individuals. Still, plant performance may be affected by microbial dormancy through its effects on the activity, abundance, and diversity of 1 4 soil microorganisms. To test how microbial seed banks influence plant-soil interactions, we purified recombinant resuscitation promoting factor (Rpf), a bacterial protein that terminates 1 6 dormancy. Then, in a factorially designed experiment, we applied the Rpf to soil containing field mustard (Brassica rapa), an agronomically important plant species. We found that plant biomass 1 8 was ~33 % lower in the Rpf treatment compared to plants growing in the presence of an unmanipulated microbial seed bank. In addition, Rpf reduced soil respiration, decreased bacterial 2 0abundance, and increased fungal abundance. These effects of Rpf on plant performance were accompanied by shifts in bacterial community composition, which may have diluted mutualists 2 2 or resuscitated pathogens. Our findings suggest that changes in microbial seed banks may influence the magnitude and direction of plant-soil feedbacks in ways that affect above-and 2 4

Novel virocell metabolic potential revealed in agricultural soils by virus‐enriched soil metagenome analysis

“…Resuscitation-promoting factor RpfB Soil water/nutrient content fluctuations (Lennon and Jones, 2011;Kuo et al, 2020) ASFRV226 Streptomyces a According to the previous column respectively.…”