A mutualistic interaction between a fungivorous nematode and a fungus within the endophytic community of Bromus tectorum

Harnessing microbial multitrophic interactions for rhizosphere microbiome engineering

The rhizosphere is a narrow and dynamic region of plant root-soil interfaces, and it's considered one of the most intricate and functionally active ecosystems on the Earth, which boosts plant health and alleviates the impact of biotic and abiotic stresses. Improving the key functions of the microbiome via engineering the rhizosphere microbiome is an emerging tool for improving plant growth, resilience, and soil-borne diseases. Recently, the advent of omics tools, gene-editing techniques, and sequencing technology has allowed us to unravel the entangled webs of plant-microbes interactions, enhancing plant fitness and tolerance to biotic and abiotic challenges. Plants secrete signaling compounds with low molecular weight into the rhizosphere, that engage various species to generate a massive deep complex array. The underlying principle governing the multitrophic interactions of the rhizosphere microbiome is yet unknown, however, some efforts have been made for disease management and agricultural sustainability. This review discussed the intra- and inter- microbe-microbe and microbe-animal interactions and their multifunctional roles in rhizosphere microbiome engineering for plant health and soil-borne disease management. Simultaneously, it investigates the significant impact of immunity utilizing PGPR and cover crop strategy in increasing rhizosphere microbiome functions for plant development and protection using omics techniques. The ecological engineering of rhizosphere plant interactions could be used as a potential alternative technology for plant growth improvement, sustainable disease control management, and increased production of economically significant crops.

Characterization of the Habitat- and Season-Independent Increase in Fungal Biomass Induced by the Invasive Giant Goldenrod and Its Impact on the Fungivorous Nematode Community

Outside its native range, the invasive plant species giant goldenrod (Solidago gigantea) has been shown to increase belowground fungal biomass. This non-obvious effect is poorly characterized; we don’t know whether it is plant developmental stage-dependent, which fractions of the fungal community are affected, and whether it is reflected in the next trophic level. To address these questions, fungal assemblages in soil samples collected from invaded and uninvaded plots in two soil types were compared. Although using ergosterol as a marker for fungal biomass demonstrated a significant increase in fungal biomass, specific quantitative PCR (qPCR) assays did not point at a quantitative shift. MiSeq-based characterization of the belowground effects of giant goldenrod revealed a local increase of mainly Cladosporiaceae and Glomeraceae. This asymmetric boost in the fungal community was reflected in a specific shift in the fungivorous nematode community. Our findings provide insight into the potential impact of invasive plants on local fungal communities.

Predator-prey interactions of nematode-trapping fungi and nematodes: both sides of the coin

Nematode-trapping fungi develop complex trapping devices to capture and consume nematodes. The dynamics of these organisms is especially important given the pathogenicity of nematodes and, consequently, the potential application of nematode-trapping fungi as biocontrol agents. Furthermore, both the nematodes and nematode-trapping fungi can be easily grown in laboratories, making them a unique manipulatable predator-prey system to study their coevolution. Several different aspects of these fungi have been studied, such as their genetics and the different factors triggering trap formation. In this review, we use the nematode-trapping fungus Arthrobotrys oligospora (which forms adhesive nets) as a model to describe the trapping process. We divide this process into several stages; namely attraction, recognition, trap formation, adhesion, penetration, and digestion. We summarize the latest findings in the field and current knowledge on the interactions between nematodes and nematode-trapping fungi, representing both sides of the predator-prey interaction.

Morphological and Molecular Characterization of Two Aphelenchoides Endophytic in Poplar Leaves

During a long-term, large network study of the ecology of plant endophytes in native habitats, various nematodes have been found. Two poplar species, Populus angustifolia (narrowleaf cottonwood) and Populus trichocarpa (black cottonwood), are important ecological and genomic models now used in ongoing plant-pathogen-endophyte interaction studies. In this study, two different aphelenchid nematodes within surface-sterilized healthy leaves of these two Populus spp. in northwestern North America were discovered. Nematodes were identified and characterized microscopically and molecularly with 28S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) and 18S rRNA molecular markers. From P. angustifolia, Aphelenchoides saprophilus was inferred to be closest to another population of A. saprophilus among sequenced taxa in the 18S tree. From P. trichocarpa, Laimaphelenchus heidelbergi had a 28S sequence only 1 bp different from that of a Portuguese population, and 1 bp different from the original Australian type population. The 28S and 18S rRNA trees of Aphelenchoides and Laimaphelenchus species indicated L. heidelbergi failed to cluster with three other Laimaphelenchus species, including the type species of the genus. Therefore, we support a conservative definition of the genus Laimaphelenchus, and consider these populations to belong to Aphelenchoides, amended as Aphelenchoides heidelbergi n. comb. This is the first report of these nematode species from within aboveground leaves. The presence of these fungal-feeding nematodes can affect the balance of endophytic fungi, which are important determinants of plant health.