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Chamard J, Faticov M, Blanchet FG, Chagnon PL, Laforest-Lapointe I. Interplay of biotic and abiotic factors shapes tree seedling growth and root-associated microbial communities. Commun Biol 2024; 7:360. [PMID: 38519711 PMCID: PMC10960049 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06042-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
Root-associated microbes can alleviate plant abiotic stresses, thus potentially supporting adaptation to a changing climate or to novel environments during range expansion. While climate change is extending plant species fundamental niches northward, the distribution and colonization of mutualists (e.g., arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi) and pathogens may constrain plant growth and regeneration. Yet, the degree to which biotic and abiotic factors impact plant performance and associated microbial communities at the edge of their distribution remains unclear. Here, we use root microscopy, coupled with amplicon sequencing, to study bacterial, fungal, and mycorrhizal root-associated microbial communities from sugar maple seedlings distributed across two temperate-to-boreal elevational gradients in southern Québec, Canada. Our findings demonstrate that soil pH, soil Ca, and distance to sugar maple trees are key drivers of root-associated microbial communities, overshadowing the influence of elevation. Interestingly, changes in root fungal community composition mediate an indirect effect of soil pH on seedling growth, a pattern consistent at both sites. Overall, our findings highlight a complex role of biotic and abiotic factors in shaping tree-microbe interactions, which are in turn correlated with seedling growth. These findings have important ramifications for tree range expansion in response to shifting climatic niches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joey Chamard
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Centre Sève, Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Maria Faticov
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
- Centre Sève, Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
- Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
| | - F Guillaume Blanchet
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Département de mathématiques, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Département des sciences de la santé communautaire, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | - Pierre-Luc Chagnon
- Agriculture and Agri-food Canada, Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, QC, Canada
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Isabelle Laforest-Lapointe
- Département de biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
- Centre Sève, Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada.
- Centre d'Étude de la Forêt, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada.
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