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Gottlieb R, Gruntman M. Belowground plant competition: uncoupling root response strategies of peas. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20240673. [PMID: 39079667 PMCID: PMC11288680 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2024.0673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2024] [Accepted: 05/21/2024] [Indexed: 08/03/2024] Open
Abstract
Belowground plant competition has been shown to induce varying responses, from increases to decreases in root biomass allocation or in directional root placement. Such inconsistencies could result from the fact that root allocation and directional growth were seldom studied together, even though they might represent different strategies. Moreover, variations in belowground responses might be due to different size hierarchies between plants, but this hypothesis has not been studied previously. In a greenhouse rhizobox experiment, we examined the way both root allocation and directional root placement of Pisum sativum are affected by the size and density of Festuca glauca neighbours, and by nutrient distribution. We found that root allocation of P. sativum increased with the density and size of F. glauca. By contrast, directional root placement was unaffected by neighbour size and increased either towards or away from neighbours when nutrients were patchily or uniformly distributed, respectively. These results demonstrate that directional root placement under competition is contingent on the distribution of soil resources. Interestingly, our results suggest that root allocation and directional placement might be uncoupled strategies that simultaneously provide stress tolerance and spatial responsiveness to neighbours, thus highlighting the importance of measuring both when studying belowground plant competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Gottlieb
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
| | - Michal Gruntman
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
- Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel
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2
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Gibbs TL, Gellner G, Levin SA, McCann KS, Hastings A, Levine JM. When can higher-order interactions produce stable coexistence? Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14458. [PMID: 38877741 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14458] [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: 10/17/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 06/16/2024]
Abstract
Most ecological models are based on the assumption that species interact in pairs. Diverse communities, however, can have higher-order interactions, in which two or more species jointly impact the growth of a third species. A pitfall of the common pairwise approach is that it misses the higher-order interactions potentially responsible for maintaining natural diversity. Here, we explore the stability properties of systems where higher-order interactions guarantee that a specified set of abundances is a feasible equilibrium of the dynamics. Even these higher-order interactions which lead to equilibria do not necessarily produce stable coexistence. Instead, these systems are more likely to be stable when the pairwise interactions are weak or facilitative. Correlations between the pairwise and higher-order interactions, however, do permit robust coexistence even in diverse systems. Our work not only reveals the challenges in generating stable coexistence through higher-order interactions but also uncovers interaction patterns that can enable diversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Theo L Gibbs
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Gabriel Gellner
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Simon A Levin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Kevin S McCann
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - Alan Hastings
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California at Davis, Davis, California, USA
- Santa Fe Institute, Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
| | - Jonathan M Levine
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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Gottlieb R, Gruntman M. Can plants integrate information on above-ground competition in their directional responses below ground? ANNALS OF BOTANY 2022; 130:763-771. [PMID: 36001107 PMCID: PMC9670743 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcac106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND AIMS Light competition can induce varying above-ground responses in plants. However, very little is known regarding the effect of above-ground light competition cues on plant responses below ground. Here we asked whether light competition cues that indicate the occurrence and direction of neighbours above ground might affect directional root placemat. METHODS In a common-garden experiment, we examined the integrated responses of the annual procumbent plant Portulaca oleracea to light competition cues and soil nutrient distribution. Soil nutrients were distributed either uniformly or in patches, and light competition was simulated using a transparent green filter, which was spatially located either in the same or opposite direction of the soil nutrient patch. KEY RESULTS As predicted, root proliferation of P. oleracea increased in the direction of the enriched soil patches but was homogenously distributed under the uniform nutrient distribution. Interestingly, root distribution was also affected by the light competition cue and increased in its direction regardless of the location of the soil patches. CONCLUSIONS Our results provide initial support to the idea that below-ground plant responses to competition might also be regulated by above-ground neighbour cues, highlighting the need to further investigate the combined effects of both above- and below-ground competition cues on root behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruth Gottlieb
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
| | - Michal Gruntman
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Tel Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
- Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, PO Box 39040, Tel Aviv 6997801, Israel
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4
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Rajaniemi TK. Root allocation and foraging precision in heterogeneous soils. Basic Appl Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2022.02.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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5
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Cai Y. Evolutionary coexistence in a metacommunity: Competition-colonization trade-off, ownership effects, environmental fluctuations. J Theor Biol 2022; 533:110944. [PMID: 34717931 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2021.110944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/20/2021] [Revised: 10/19/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
We study the adaptive dynamics of the colonization rate of species living in a patchy habitat when there is a trade-off with the competitive strength for individual patches. To that end, we formulate a continuous-time competition-colonization model that also includes ownership effects as well as random disturbance affecting the mortality rate. We find that intermediate disturbance (as measured by the fluctuation intensity of the mortality rate), a strong competition-colonization trade-off, and a weak ownership effect are necessary conditions for evolutionary branching and hence for the emergence of polymorphisms (i.e., coexistence) by small evolutionary steps. Specifically, concerning ownership we find that with low-intermediate disturbance, a weak ownership advantage favours evolutionary branching while ownership disadvantage does not. This asymmetry disappears at the higher-intermediate disturbance. Moreover, at a low-intermediate disturbance, the effect of the strength of the competition-colonization trade-off on evolutionary branching is non-monotonic disappears because the possibility of branching disappears again when the trade-off is too strong. We also find that there can be multiple evolutionary attractors for polymorphic populations, each with its own basin of attraction. With small but non-zero random evolutionary steps and depending on the initial polymorphic condition just after branching, a coevolutionary trajectory may come arbitrarily close to the shared boundary of two such basins and may even jump from one side to the other, which can lead to various kinds of long-term evolutionary dynamics, including evolutionary branching-extinction cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yuhua Cai
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, University of Helsinki, PO Box 68, FI-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
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7
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Reuter R, Ferlian O, Tarkka M, Eisenhauer N, Pritsch K, Simon J. Tree species rather than type of mycorrhizal association drive inorganic and organic nitrogen acquisition in tree-tree interactions. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2021; 41:2096-2108. [PMID: 33929538 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpab059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/25/2020] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Mycorrhizal fungi play an important role for the nitrogen (N) supply of trees. The influence of different mycorrhizal types on N acquisition in tree-tree interactions is, however, not well understood, particularly with regard to the competition for growth-limiting N. We studied the effect of competition between temperate forest tree species on their inorganic and organic N acquisition in relation to their mycorrhizal type (i.e., arbuscular mycorrhiza or ectomycorrhiza). In a field experiment, we quantified net N uptake capacity from inorganic and organic N sources using 15N/13C stable isotopes for arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species (i.e., Acer pseudoplatanus L., Fraxinus excelsior L., and Prunus avium L.) as well as ectomycorrhizal tree species (i.e., Carpinus betulus L., Fagus sylvatica L., and Tilia platyphyllos Scop.). All species were grown in intra- and interspecific competition (i.e., monoculture or mixture). Our results showed that N sources were not used complementarily depending on a species' mycorrhizal association, but their uptake rather depended on the competitor, indicating species-specific effects. Generally, ammonium was preferred over glutamine and glutamine over nitrate. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the inorganic and organic N acquisition of the studied temperate tree species is less regulated by mycorrhizal association but rather by the availability of specific N sources in the soil as well as the competitive environment of different tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert Reuter
- Plant Interactions Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78457, Germany
| | - Olga Ferlian
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Mika Tarkka
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Department of Soil Ecology, Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research - UFZ, Theodor-Lieser-Straße 5, Halle 06120, Germany
| | - Nico Eisenhauer
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv) Halle-Jena-Leipzig, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
- Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Puschstraße 4, Leipzig 04103, Germany
| | - Karin Pritsch
- Institute of Biochemical Plant Pathology, HelmholtzZentrum München, Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH, Ingolstaedter Landstraße 1, Oberschleiβheim 85764, Germany
| | - Judy Simon
- Plant Interactions Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz 78457, Germany
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8
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Abstract
Communication occurs when a sender emits a cue perceived by a receiver that changes the receiver's behavior. Plants perceive information regarding light, water, other nutrients, touch, herbivores, pathogens, mycorrhizae, and nitrogen-fixing bacteria. Plants also emit cues perceived by other plants, beneficial microbes, herbivores, enemies of herbivores, pollinators, and seed dispersers. Individuals responding to light cues experienced increased fitness. Evidence for benefits of responding to cues involving herbivores and pathogens is more limited. The benefits of emitting cues are also less clear, particularly for plant–plant communication. Reliance on multiple or dosage-dependent cues can reduce inappropriate responses, and plants often remember past cues. Plants have multiple needs and prioritize conflicting cues such that the risk of abiotic stress is treated as greater than that of shading, which is in turn treated as greater than that of consumption. Plants can distinguish self from nonself and kin from strangers. They can identify the species of competitor or consumer and respond appropriately. Cues involving mutualists often contain highly specific information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Richard Karban
- Department of Entomology and Nematology, University of California, Davis, California 95616, USA
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9
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Parise AG, Bertoli SC, Souza GM. Belowground interactions affect shoot growth in Eucalyptus urophylla under restrictive conditions. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2021; 16:1927589. [PMID: 34057038 PMCID: PMC8280888 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2021.1927589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2021] [Revised: 05/03/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Plant-plant interactions like competition or facilitation between seedlings can have profound implications on their establishment and posterior development. These interactions are variable and depend upon the presence of neighbouring plants and environmental factors. In this work, we studied the effects of the interaction by the roots of Eucalyptus urophylla seedlings from a population under various environmental stressful conditions: water deficit, nutrient deficit, low light, low temperature, and high temperature. To evaluate it, we measured some growth and morphological parameters. We demonstrated that shoot parameters such as the number of leaves, leaf area, and dry weight of the leaves were the most affected parameters due to the belowground plant-plant interaction under various environmental conditions. We did not find evidence for competition among the plants, especially under restrictive conditions. Therefore, the study corroborates the stress-gradient hypothesis, which states that plants' differences under stressful conditions lead to facilitative interactions. It has implications for plant ecology and forestry techniques.
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Affiliation(s)
- André Geremia Parise
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | - Suzana Chiari Bertoli
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
| | - Gustavo Maia Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology (LACEV), Department of Botany, Institute of Biology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil
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Hierro JL, Callaway RM. The Ecological Importance of Allelopathy. ANNUAL REVIEW OF ECOLOGY EVOLUTION AND SYSTEMATICS 2021. [DOI: 10.1146/annurev-ecolsys-051120-030619] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Allelopathy (i.e., chemical interaction among species) was originally conceived as inclusive of positive and negative effects of plants on other plants, and we adopt this view. Most studies of allelopathy have been phenomenological, but we focus on studies that have explored the ecological significance of this interaction. The literature suggests that studies of allelopathy have been particularly important for three foci in ecology: species distribution, conditionality of interactions, and maintenance of species diversity. There is evidence that allelopathy influences local distributions of plant species around the world. Allelopathic conditionality appears to arise through coevolution, and this is a mechanism for plant invasions. Finally, allelopathy promotes species coexistence via intransitive competition, modifications of direct interactions, and (co)evolution. Recent advances additionally suggest that coexistence might be favored through biochemical recognition. The preponderance of phenomenological studies notwithstanding, allelopathy has broad ecological consequences. Expected final online publication date for the Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics, Volume 52 is November 2021. Please see http://www.annualreviews.org/page/journal/pubdates for revised estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- José L. Hierro
- Laboratorio de Ecología, Biogeografía y Evolución Vegetal (LEByEV), Instituto de Ciencias de la Tierra y Ambientales de La Pampa (INCITAP), Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas (CONICET)–Universidad Nacional de La Pampa (UNLPam), 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
- Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, UNLPam, 6300 Santa Rosa, La Pampa, Argentina
| | - Ragan M. Callaway
- Division of Biological Sciences and the Institute on Ecosystems, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana 59812, USA
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11
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Mohiley A, Tielbörger K, Weber M, Clemens S, Gruntman M. Competition for light induces metal accumulation in a metal hyperaccumulating plant. Oecologia 2021; 197:157-165. [PMID: 34370097 DOI: 10.1007/s00442-021-05001-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2020] [Accepted: 07/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Plants can respond to competition with a myriad of physiological or morphological changes. Competition has also been shown to affect the foraging decisions of plants belowground. However, a completely unexplored idea is that competition might also affect plants' foraging for specific elements required to inhibit the growth of their competitors. In this study, we examined the effect of simulated competition on root foraging and accumulation of heavy metals in the metal hyperaccumulating perennial plant Arabidopsis halleri, whose metal accumulation has been shown to provide allelopathic ability. A. halleri plants originating from both metalliferous and non-metalliferous soils were grown in a "split-root" setup with one root in a high-metal pot and the other in a low-metal one. The plants were then assigned to either simulated light competition or no-competition (control) treatments, using vertical green or clear plastic filters, respectively. While simulated light competition did not induce greater root allocation into the high-metal pots, it did result in enhanced metal accumulation by A. halleri, particularly in the less metal-tolerant plants, originating from non-metalliferous soils. Interestingly, this accumulation response was particularly enhanced for zinc rather than cadmium. These results provide support to the idea that the accumulation of metals by hyperaccumulating plants can be facultative and change according to their demand following competition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anubhav Mohiley
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Katja Tielbörger
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Michael Weber
- Plant Physiology Department, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Stephan Clemens
- Plant Physiology Department, University of Bayreuth, Bayreuth, Germany
| | - Michal Gruntman
- Institute of Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany.
- School of Plant Sciences and Food Security, Porter School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, Israel.
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Abstract
We develop an agent-based model on a lattice to investigate territorial development motivated by markings such as graffiti, generalizing a previously-published model to account for K groups instead of two groups. We then analyze this model and present two novel variations. Our model assumes that agents’ movement is a biased random walk away from rival groups’ markings. All interactions between agents are indirect, mediated through the markings. We numerically demonstrate that in a system of three groups, the groups segregate in certain parameter regimes. Starting from the discrete model, we formally derive the continuum system of 2K convection–diffusion equations for our model. These equations exhibit cross-diffusion due to the avoidance of the rival groups’ markings. Both through numerical simulations and through a linear stability analysis of the continuum system, we find that many of the same properties hold for the K-group model as for the two-group model. We then introduce two novel variations of the agent-based model, one corresponding to some groups being more timid than others, and the other corresponding to some groups being more threatening than others. These variations present different territorial patterns than those found in the original model. We derive corresponding systems of convection–diffusion equations for each of these variations, finding both numerically and through linear stability analysis that each variation exhibits a phase transition.
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13
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Cabal C, Martinez-Garcia R, de Castro A, Valladares F, Pacala SW. Future paths for the 'exploitative segregation of plant roots' model. PLANT SIGNALING & BEHAVIOR 2021; 16:1891755. [PMID: 33641625 PMCID: PMC8078527 DOI: 10.1080/15592324.2021.1891755] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/02/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2021] [Accepted: 02/14/2021] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
The exploitative segregation of plant roots (ESPR) is a theory that uses a game-theoretical model to predict plant root foraging behavior in space. The original model returns the optimal root distribution assuming exploitative competition between a pair of identical plants in soils with homogeneous resource dynamics. In this short communication, we explore avenues to develop this model further. We discuss: (i) the response of single plants to soil heterogeneity; (ii) the variability of the plant response under uneven competition scenarios; (iii) the importance of accounting for the constraints and limitations to root growth that may be imposed from the plant shoot; (iv) the importance of root functional traits to predict root foraging behavior; (v) potential model extensions to investigate facilitation by incorporating facilitative traits to roots, and (vi) the possibility of allowing plants to tune their response by accounting for non-self and non-kin root recognition. For each case, we introduce the topic briefly and present possible ways to encode those ingredients in the mathematical equations of the ESPR model, providing preliminary results when possible.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciro Cabal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Ricardo Martinez-Garcia
- International Centre for Theoretical Physics-South American Institute for Fundamental Research - Instituto de Física Teórica da UNESP, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Aurora de Castro
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences MNCN, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- School of Applied Sciences, Edinburgh Napier University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences MNCN, CSIC, Madrid, Spain
- Department of Biology, Geology, Physics and Inorganic Chemistry, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles, Spain
| | - Stephen W. Pacala
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
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14
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GPR-Based Automatic Identification of Root Zones of Influence Using HDBSCAN. REMOTE SENSING 2021. [DOI: 10.3390/rs13061227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
The belowground root zone of influence (ZOI) is fundamental to the study of the root–root and root–soil interaction mechanisms of plants and is vital for understanding changes in plant community compositions and ecosystem processes. However, traditional root research methods have a limited capacity to measure the actual ZOIs within plant communities without destroying them in the process. This study has developed a new approach to determining the ZOIs within natural plant communities. First, ground-penetrating radar (GPR), a non-invasive near-surface geophysical tool, was used to obtain a dataset of the actual spatial distribution of the coarse root system in a shrub quadrat. Second, the root dataset was automatically clustered and analyzed using the hierarchical density-based spatial clustering of applications with noise (HDBSCAN) algorithm to determine the ZOIs of different plants. Finally, the shape, size, and other characteristics of each ZOI were extracted based on the clustering results. The proposed method was validated using GPR-obtained root data collected in two field shrub plots and one simulation on a dataset from existing literature. The results show that the shrubs within the studied community exhibited either segregated and aggregated ZOIs, and the two types of ZOIs were distinctly in terms of shape and size, demonstrating the complexity of root growth in response to changes in the surrounding environment. The ZOIs extracted based on GPR survey data were highly consistent with the actual growth pattern of shrub roots and can thus be used to reveal the spatial competition strategies of plant roots responding to changes in the soil environment and the influence of neighboring plants.
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15
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Cabal C, Martínez-García R, de Castro Aguilar A, Valladares F, Pacala SW. The exploitative segregation of plant roots. Science 2021; 370:1197-1199. [PMID: 33273098 DOI: 10.1126/science.aba9877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2020] [Accepted: 10/14/2020] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Plant roots determine carbon uptake, survivorship, and agricultural yield and represent a large proportion of the world's vegetation carbon pool. Study of belowground competition, unlike aboveground shoot competition, is hampered by our inability to observe roots. We developed a consumer-resource model based in game theory that predicts the root density spatial distribution of individual plants and tested the model predictions in a greenhouse experiment. Plants in the experiment reacted to neighbors as predicted by the model's evolutionary stable equilibrium, by both overinvesting in nearby roots and reducing their root foraging range. We thereby provide a theoretical foundation for belowground allocation of carbon by vegetation that reconciles seemingly contradictory experimental results such as root segregation and the tragedy of the commons in plant roots.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ciro Cabal
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.
| | - Ricardo Martínez-García
- ICTP-South American Institute for Fundamental Research-Instituto de Física Teórica da UNESP, Rua Dr. Bento Teobaldo Ferraz 271, 01140-070 Sao Paulo SP, Brazil.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Aurora de Castro Aguilar
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences MNCN, CSIC, Madrid 28006, Spain
| | - Fernando Valladares
- Department of Biogeography and Global Change, National Museum of Natural Sciences MNCN, CSIC, Madrid 28006, Spain.,Department of Biology, Geology, Physics and Inorganic Chemistry, Rey Juan Carlos University, Móstoles 28933, Spain
| | - Stephen W Pacala
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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16
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Affiliation(s)
- Marina Semchenko
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK. .,Department of Botany, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia
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17
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Goddard EL, Varga S, John EA, Soulsbury CD. Evidence for Root Kin Recognition in the Clonal Plant Species Glechoma hederacea. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2020.578141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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18
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McNickle GG. Interpreting plant root responses to nutrients, neighbours and pot volume depends on researchers’ assumptions. Funct Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon G. McNickle
- Department of Botany and Plant Pathology Purdue University West Lafayette IN USA
- Purdue Center for Plant Biology Purdue University West Lafayette IN USA
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19
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Calvo P, Trewavas A. Cognition and intelligence of green plants. Information for animal scientists. Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2020; 564:78-85. [PMID: 32838964 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbrc.2020.07.139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/05/2020] [Revised: 07/08/2020] [Accepted: 07/10/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Paco Calvo
- Minimal Intelligence Laboratory, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Molecular Plant Science, Kings Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
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20
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Callaway RM, Li L. Decisions, decisions, decisions: plant roots detect and respond to complex environmental cues. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2020; 226:11-12. [PMID: 31904866 DOI: 10.1111/nph.16372] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ragan M Callaway
- Division of Biological Sciences and Institute on Ecosystems, University of Montana, Missoula, MT, 59812, USA
| | - Long Li
- College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, China Agricultural University, Beijing, 100193, China
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Huang W, Reddy GV, Shi P, Huang J, Hu H, Hu T. Allelopathic effects of Cinnamomum septentrionale leaf litter on Eucalyptus grandis saplings. Glob Ecol Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.gecco.2019.e00872] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
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22
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Calvo P, Gagliano M, Souza GM, Trewavas A. Plants are intelligent, here's how. ANNALS OF BOTANY 2020; 125:11-28. [PMID: 31563953 PMCID: PMC6948212 DOI: 10.1093/aob/mcz155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/27/2019] [Revised: 07/01/2019] [Accepted: 09/26/2019] [Indexed: 05/07/2023]
Abstract
HYPOTHESES The drive to survive is a biological universal. Intelligent behaviour is usually recognized when individual organisms including plants, in the face of fiercely competitive or adverse, real-world circumstances, change their behaviour to improve their probability of survival. SCOPE This article explains the potential relationship of intelligence to adaptability and emphasizes the need to recognize individual variation in intelligence showing it to be goal directed and thus being purposeful. Intelligent behaviour in single cells and microbes is frequently reported. Individual variation might be underpinned by a novel learning mechanism, described here in detail. The requirements for real-world circumstances are outlined, and the relationship to organic selection is indicated together with niche construction as a good example of intentional behaviour that should improve survival. Adaptability is important in crop development but the term may be complex incorporating numerous behavioural traits some of which are indicated. CONCLUSION There is real biological benefit to regarding plants as intelligent both from the fundamental issue of understanding plant life but also from providing a direction for fundamental future research and in crop breeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paco Calvo
- Minimal Intelligence Laboratory, Universidad de Murcia, Murcia, Spain
| | - Monica Gagliano
- Biological Intelligence Laboratory, School of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Gustavo M Souza
- Laboratory of Plant Cognition and Electrophysiology, Federal University of Pelotas, Pelotas - RS, Brazil
| | - Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Molecular Plant Science, Kings Buildings, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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23
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Zwetsloot MJ, Goebel M, Paya A, Grams TEE, Bauerle TL. Specific spatio-temporal dynamics of absorptive fine roots in response to neighbor species identity in a mixed beech-spruce forest. TREE PHYSIOLOGY 2019; 39:1867-1879. [PMID: 31504991 DOI: 10.1093/treephys/tpz086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2019] [Revised: 06/07/2019] [Accepted: 07/18/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Absorptive fine roots are an important driver of soil biogeochemical cycles. Yet, the spatio-temporal dynamics of those roots in the presence of neighboring species remain poorly understood. The aim of this study was to analyze shifts in absorptive fine-root traits in monoculture or mixtures of Fagus sylvatica [L.] and Picea abies [L.] Karst. We hypothesized that root competition would be higher under single-species than mixed-species interactions, leading to changes in (i) root survivorship, diameter and respiration and (ii) spatio-temporal patterns of root growth and death. Using minirhizotron methods, we monitored the timing and location of absorptive fine-root growth and death at an experimental forest in southern Germany from 2011 to 2013. We also measured root respiration in the spring and fall seasons of 2012 and 2013. Our findings show that the absorptive fine roots of F. sylvatica had a 50% higher risk of root mortality and higher respiration rates in the single-species compared to mixed-species zones. These results support our hypothesis that root competition is less intense for F. sylvatica in mixture versus monoculture. We were unable to find confirmation for the same hypothesis for P. abies. To analyze spatio-temporal patterns of absorptive fine-root production and mortality, we used a mixed-effects model considering root depth (space) and seasons (time) simultaneously. This analysis showed that F. sylvatica shifts root production towards shallower soil layers in mixed-species stands, besides significant seasonal fluctuations in root production depths for both species. Ultimately, the impact of neighbor species identity on root traits observed in this study has important implications for where, when and how fast root-facilitated carbon cycling takes place in single-species versus mixed-species forests. In addition, our study highlights the need for inclusion of absorptive fine-root spatio-temporal dynamics when examining belowground plant interactions and biogeochemical cycles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie J Zwetsloot
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 236 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
- Soil Biology Group, Wageningen University, Droevendaalsesteeg 3, 6708 PB Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Marc Goebel
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, 111 Fernow Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Alex Paya
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 236 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
| | - Thorsten E E Grams
- Ecophysiology of Plants, Technical University of Munich, Am Hochanger 13, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Taryn L Bauerle
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 236 Tower Road, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA
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Ljubotina MK, Cahill JF. Effects of neighbour location and nutrient distributions on root foraging behaviour of the common sunflower. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20190955. [PMID: 31530149 PMCID: PMC6784730 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.0955] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Plants regularly encounter patchily distributed soil nutrients. A common foraging response is to proliferate roots within high-quality patches. The influence of the social environment on this behaviour has been given limited attention, despite important fitness consequences of competition for soil resources among plants. Using the common sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.), we compared localized root proliferation in a high-quality patch by plants grown alone to that of plants in two different social environments: with a neighbouring plant sharing equal access to the high-quality patch, and with a neighbouring plant present but farther from the high-quality patch such that the focal individual was in closer proximity to the high-quality patch. Sunflowers grown alone proliferated more roots within high-nutrient patches than lower-nutrient soil. Plants decreased root proliferation within a high-nutrient patch when it was equidistant to a neighbour. Conversely, plants increased root proliferation when they were in closer proximity to the patch relative to a nearby neighbour. Such contingent responses may allow sunflowers to avoid competition in highly contested patches, but to also pre-empt soil resources from neighbours when they have better access to a high-quality patch. We also compared patch occupancy by sunflowers grown alone with two equidistant high-quality patches to occupancy by sunflowers grown with two high-quality patches and a neighbour. Plants grown with a neighbour decreased root length within shared patches but did not increase root length within high-quality patches they were in closer proximity to, perhaps because resource pre-emption may be less important for individuals when resources are more abundant. These results show that nutrient foraging responses in plants can be socially contingent, and that plants may account for the possibility of pre-empting limited resources in their foraging decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan K. Ljubotina
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaT6G 2E9
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25
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Ni J, Ng CWW, Gao Y. Modelling root growth and soil suction due to plant competition. J Theor Biol 2019; 484:110019. [PMID: 31560885 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2019.110019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2018] [Revised: 07/14/2019] [Accepted: 09/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Previous experimental results show that planting spacing has significant effects on root distribution and soil suction (negative pore water pressure) due to inter-plant competition. However, there is a lack of theoretical study on this aspect. This study proposes a new physically based mathematical model to capture planting spacing effects on root growth and soil suction considering three key factors, namely hydrotropism, soil mechanical impedance and inter-plant competition. The model is mainly composed of four parts: (i) extension of root zone front; (ii) increase in root density; (iii) root water uptake and (iv) water flow in soil matrix. Root growth and root water uptake are fully coupled. In order to validate the model, laboratory and field tests were conducted on one tree (Schefflera heptaphylla) and one shrub species (Schefflera arboricola), respectively, with different planting spacings. Even though the investigated tree and shrub species had different values of leaf area index and root length density, consistent conclusions on planting spacing effects can be drawn. When planting spacing became smaller, the size of root system decreased while root density increased, hence causing higher soil suction. The model can capture the root distributions as well as induced soil suction during both evapotranspiration and rainfall events quite well for both tree and shrub species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junjun Ni
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR.
| | - Charles Wang Wai Ng
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong SAR
| | - Yufeng Gao
- Department of Civil and Transportation Engineering, Hohai University, Nanjing, China
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26
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Zhang D, Li H, Fu Z, Cai S, Xu S, Zhu H, Shen J. Increased planting density of Chinese milk vetch ( Astragalus sinicus) weakens phosphorus uptake advantage by rapeseed ( Brassica napus) in a mixed cropping system. AOB PLANTS 2019; 11:plz033. [PMID: 31285818 PMCID: PMC6605628 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plz033] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2019] [Indexed: 05/31/2023]
Abstract
Neighbouring plants can affect plant growth through altering root morphological and physiological traits, but how exactly root systems respond to neighbouring plants with varied density, determining nutrient uptake and shoot growth is poorly understood. In a pot-based experiment, rapeseed was grown alone (single rapeseed), or mixed with 3, 6, or 15 Chinese milk vetch plants. As controls, monocropped Chinese milk vetch was grown at the same planting density, 3, 6, or 15 plants per pot. Root interaction between rapeseed and Chinese milk vetch facilitated phosphorus (P) uptake in rapeseed grown with 3 plants of Chinese milk vetch. As the planting density of Chinese milk vetch in mixture increased, there was a decrease in citrate concentration and acid phosphatase activity but an increase in the total root length of Chinese milk vetch per pot, resulting in decreases in rapeseed root biomass, total root length and P uptake when rapeseed was grown with 6 or 15 Chinese milk vetch plants relative to rapeseed grown with 3 plants. These results demonstrate that the enhanced nutrient utilization induced by root interaction at low planting densities was eliminated by the increased planting density of the legume species in rapeseed/Chinese milk vetch mixed cropping system, suggesting that root/rhizosphere management through optimizing legume planting density is important for improving crop productivity and nutrient-use efficiency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Deshan Zhang
- Institute of Ecological Environment Protection Research, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Low-carbon Agricultural Technical Engineering Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Hongbo Li
- Institute of Environment and Sustainable Development in Agriculture, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - Zishi Fu
- Institute of Ecological Environment Protection Research, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Low-carbon Agricultural Technical Engineering Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Shumei Cai
- Institute of Ecological Environment Protection Research, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Low-carbon Agricultural Technical Engineering Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Sixin Xu
- Institute of Ecological Environment Protection Research, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Low-carbon Agricultural Technical Engineering Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Haitao Zhu
- Institute of Ecological Environment Protection Research, Shanghai Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Shanghai Key Laboratory of Protected Horticultural Technology, Shanghai Low-carbon Agricultural Technical Engineering Research Center, Shanghai, China
| | - Jianbo Shen
- Department of Plant Nutrition, China Agricultural University, Key Laboratory of Plant-Soil Interactions, Ministry of Education, Beijing, China
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27
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Salahuddin, Rewald B, Razaq M, Lixue Y, Li J, Khan F, Jie Z. Root order-based traits of Manchurian walnut & larch and their plasticity under interspecific competition. Sci Rep 2018; 8:9815. [PMID: 29959435 PMCID: PMC6026125 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-27832-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2018] [Accepted: 05/31/2018] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Manchurian walnut and larch are key timber species of northeast China but information on (fine) root traits of both species is scarce. Plasticity of root traits in mixed plantations has been studied rarely although this could give important insights into mechanisms of root competition. This study examined root traits by branching order in 30-yr-old monocultures and their plasticity in mixed plantations. In monocultures, Manchurian walnut and larch differed in key fine root traits. Larch roots hold more absorptive root orders, larger diameter and lower specific root length/area. Walnut root orders featured greater cortex:stele ratios, N-concentrations and respiration rates. Under interspecific competition, the proportion of walnut root tips increased, the biomass/length of larch root orders 1-3 decreased. Larch possessed a greater morphological and anatomical plasticity of terminal root orders than walnut. Mycorrhizal colonization rates of walnut were reduced. Both species differed fundamentally in their fine root properties. Absorptive fine root orders reacted plastic under interspecific competition while traits of higher root orders remained unchanged. In mixture, larch roots possessed a greater plasticity in traits related to resource uptake (efficiency) than walnut roots whose reaction norm is suggested to be predominantly based on interference competition via juglone exudation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Salahuddin
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
- Agricultural Research Institute, Mingora, Pakistan
| | - Boris Rewald
- Department of Forest and Soil Sciences, University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (BOKU), Vienna, Austria
| | - Muhammad Razaq
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Yang Lixue
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China.
| | - Ji Li
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
| | - Farmanullah Khan
- Department of soil and environmental science, The university of Agriculture, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Zhang Jie
- School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin, China
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28
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Sattler J, Bartelheimer M. Root responses to legume plants integrate information on nitrogen availability and neighbour identity. Basic Appl Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.baae.2018.01.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
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29
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McNickle GG, Lamb EG, Lavender M, Cahill JF, Schamp BS, Siciliano SD, Condit R, Hubbell SP, Baltzer JL. Checkerboard score-area relationships reveal spatial scales of plant community structure. OIKOS 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.04620] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon G. McNickle
- Dept of Botany and Plant Pathology and Center for Plant Biology; Purdue Univ.; West Lafayette IN USA
| | - Eric G. Lamb
- Dept of Plant Sciences; Univ. of Saskatchewan; Saskatoon SK Canada
| | - Mike Lavender
- Dept of Biological Sciences; Queen's Univ.; Kingston ON Canada
| | - James F Cahill
- Dept of Biological Sciences; Univ. of Alberta; Edmonton AB Canada
| | | | | | | | - Stephen P. Hubbell
- Dept of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Univ. of California Los Angeles; Los Angeles CA USA
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30
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Abstract
Intelligence is defined for wild plants and its role in fitness identified. Intelligent behaviour exhibited by single cells and systems similarity between the interactome and connectome indicates neural systems are not necessary for intelligent capabilities. Plants sense and respond to many environmental signals that are assessed to competitively optimize acquisition of patchily distributed resources. Situations of choice engender motivational states in goal-directed plant behaviour; consequent intelligent decisions enable efficient gain of energy over expenditure. Comparison of swarm intelligence and plant behaviour indicates the origins of plant intelligence lie in complex communication and is exemplified by cambial control of branch function. Error correction in behaviours indicates both awareness and intention as does the ability to count to five. Volatile organic compounds are used as signals in numerous plant interactions. Being complex in composition and often species and individual specific, they may represent the plant language and account for self and alien recognition between individual plants. Game theory has been used to understand competitive and cooperative interactions between plants and microbes. Some unexpected cooperative behaviour between individuals and potential aliens has emerged. Behaviour profiting from experience, another simple definition of intelligence, requires both learning and memory and is indicated in the priming of herbivory, disease and abiotic stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Plant Molecular Science, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JH, Scotland
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31
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Abstract
Intelligence is defined for wild plants and its role in fitness identified. Intelligent behaviour exhibited by single cells and systems similarity between the interactome and connectome indicates neural systems are not necessary for intelligent capabilities. Plants sense and respond to many environmental signals that are assessed to competitively optimize acquisition of patchily distributed resources. Situations of choice engender motivational states in goal-directed plant behaviour; consequent intelligent decisions enable efficient gain of energy over expenditure. Comparison of swarm intelligence and plant behaviour indicates the origins of plant intelligence lie in complex communication and is exemplified by cambial control of branch function. Error correction in behaviours indicates both awareness and intention as does the ability to count to five. Volatile organic compounds are used as signals in numerous plant interactions. Being complex in composition and often species and individual specific, they may represent the plant language and account for self and alien recognition between individual plants. Game theory has been used to understand competitive and cooperative interactions between plants and microbes. Some unexpected cooperative behaviour between individuals and potential aliens has emerged. Behaviour profiting from experience, another simple definition of intelligence, requires both learning and memory and is indicated in the priming of herbivory, disease and abiotic stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Plant Molecular Science, University of Edinburgh, Kings Buildings, Edinburgh EH9 3JH, Scotland
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32
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Yang L, Ruan X, Jiang D, Zhang J, Pan C, Wang Q. Physiological effects of autotoxicity due to DHAP stress on Picea schrenkiana regeneration. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0177047. [PMID: 28481896 PMCID: PMC5421776 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0177047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2016] [Accepted: 04/23/2017] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Picea Schrenkiana as one of the most important zonal vegetation was an endemic species in Middle Asia. Natural regeneration of P. Schrenkiana is a long existing problem troubling scientists. The autotoxicity of 3,4-dihydroxy-acetophenone (DHAP) was found to be a causative factor causing the failure of P. Schrenkiana natural regeneration. The effects of concentrations of DHAP treatment on the viability of root cell, activities of antioxidant enzymes and levels of P. Schrenkiana phytohormones were performed to disclose the physiological mechanism of DHAP autotoxicity. It was observed that high concentration of DHAP could inhibit the seed germination and seedling growth, but had a hormesis at low concentrations. Analyses showed that the root cells significantly lost their viability treated with high DHAP. The enzymes activities of seedlings were significantly stimulated by the treatment of 0.5 mM DHAP to give a transient increase and then decrease as DHAP concentration increased to 1.0 mM except for GR (glutathione reductase) in which DHAP treatment had little effect on its activity. Comparing with the control, an increase in the levels of phytohormones ZT (zeatin), GA3 (gibberellic acid) and IAA (indole acetic acid) was induced by the treatment of DHAP at low concentrations (0.1-0.25 mM), but the significant deficiency was found treated by high concentrations (0.5-1.0 mM). In addition, the ABA (abscisic acid) level increased in all experimental observations. These results suggested that DHAP significantly affected indices of growth and physiology, and provided some new information about different effect in P. Schrenkiana treated with DHAP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Li Yang
- Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | - Xiao Ruan
- Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
| | - Dean Jiang
- College of Life Sciences, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China
| | | | - Cunde Pan
- College of Forestry and Horticulture, Xinjiang Agricultural University, Urumqi, China
| | - Qiang Wang
- Ningbo Institute of Technology, Zhejiang University, Ningbo, China
- * E-mail:
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Karban R, Wetzel WC, Shiojiri K, Pezzola E, Blande JD. Geographic dialects in volatile communication between sagebrush individuals. Ecology 2016; 97:2917-2924. [DOI: 10.1002/ecy.1573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/24/2016] [Revised: 08/25/2016] [Accepted: 09/01/2016] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Richard Karban
- Department of Entomology and Nematology; University of California; Davis California 95616 USA
| | - William C. Wetzel
- Department of Entomology; Cornell University; Ithaca New York 14853 USA
| | - Kaori Shiojiri
- Department of Agriculture; Ryukoku University; Otsu Shiga 520-2194 Japan
| | | | - James D. Blande
- Department of Environmental and Biological Sciences; University of Eastern Finland; Kuopio 70211 Finland
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34
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Phenotypic Plasticity and Species Coexistence. Trends Ecol Evol 2016; 31:803-813. [PMID: 27527257 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2016.07.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 123] [Impact Index Per Article: 15.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/29/2016] [Revised: 07/22/2016] [Accepted: 07/25/2016] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
Ecologists are increasingly interested in predicting how intraspecific variation and changing trait values impact species interactions and community composition. For many traits, much of this variation is caused by phenotypic plasticity, and thus the impact of plasticity on species coexistence deserves robust quantification. Partly due to a lack of sound theoretical expectations, empirical studies make contradictory claims regarding plasticity effects on coexistence. Our critical review of this literature, framed in modern coexistence theory, reveals that plasticity affects species interactions in ways that could impact stabilizing niche differences and competitive asymmetries. However, almost no study integrates these measures to quantify the net effect of plasticity on species coexistence. To address this challenge, we outline novel empirical approaches grounded in modern theory.
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Trewavas A. Intelligence, Cognition, and Language of Green Plants. Front Psychol 2016; 7:588. [PMID: 27199823 PMCID: PMC4845027 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2016.00588] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2016] [Accepted: 04/08/2016] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
A summary definition of some 70 descriptions of intelligence provides a definition for all other organisms including plants that stresses fitness. Barbara McClintock, a plant biologist, posed the notion of the ‘thoughtful cell’ in her Nobel prize address. The systems structure necessary for a thoughtful cell is revealed by comparison of the interactome and connectome. The plant root cap, a group of some 200 cells that act holistically in responding to numerous signals, likely possesses a similar systems structure agreeing with Darwin’s description of acting like the brain of a lower organism. Intelligent behavior requires assessment of different choices and taking the beneficial one. Decisions are constantly required to optimize the plant phenotype to a dynamic environment and the cambium is the assessing tissue diverting more or removing resources from different shoot and root branches through manipulation of vascular elements. Environmental awareness likely indicates consciousness. Spontaneity in plant behavior, ability to count to five and error correction indicate intention. Volatile organic compounds are used as signals in plant interactions and being complex in composition may be the equivalent of language accounting for self and alien recognition by individual plants. Game theory describes competitive interactions. Interactive and intelligent outcomes emerge from application of various games between plants themselves and interactions with microbes. Behavior profiting from experience, another simple definition of intelligence, requires both learning and memory and is indicated in the priming of herbivory, disease and abiotic stresses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Trewavas
- Institute of Molecular Plant Science, University of Edinburgh Edinburgh, UK
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36
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de Parseval H, Abbadie L, Barot S, Gignoux J, Lata JC, Raynaud X. Explore less to control more: why and when should plants limit the horizontal exploration of soil by their roots? OIKOS 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.02726] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henri de Parseval
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Univ Paris Diderot Paris 7, UPEC, Inst. of Ecology and Environmental Sciences - Paris; UMR 7618, Bât F, 7, quai Saint-Bernard FR-75252 Paris CEDEX 5 France
| | - Luc Abbadie
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Univ Paris Diderot Paris 7, UPEC, Inst. of Ecology and Environmental Sciences - Paris; UMR 7618, Bât F, 7, quai Saint-Bernard FR-75252 Paris CEDEX 5 France
| | - Sébastien Barot
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Univ Paris Diderot Paris 7, UPEC, Inst. of Ecology and Environmental Sciences - Paris; UMR 7618, Bât F, 7, quai Saint-Bernard FR-75252 Paris CEDEX 5 France
| | - Jacques Gignoux
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Univ Paris Diderot Paris 7, UPEC, Inst. of Ecology and Environmental Sciences - Paris; UMR 7618, Bât F, 7, quai Saint-Bernard FR-75252 Paris CEDEX 5 France
| | - Jean-Christophe Lata
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Univ Paris Diderot Paris 7, UPEC, Inst. of Ecology and Environmental Sciences - Paris; UMR 7618, Bât F, 7, quai Saint-Bernard FR-75252 Paris CEDEX 5 France
- Dept of Geoecology and Geochemistry; Inst. of Natural Resources, Tomsk Polytechnic University; Lenin Avenue 30 RU-634050 Tomsk Russia
| | - Xavier Raynaud
- Sorbonne Universités, UPMC Univ. Paris 06, CNRS, INRA, IRD, Univ Paris Diderot Paris 7, UPEC, Inst. of Ecology and Environmental Sciences - Paris; UMR 7618, Bât F, 7, quai Saint-Bernard FR-75252 Paris CEDEX 5 France
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Kamorina G, Tremblay F, Bussière B, Smirnova E, Thiffault N. Bluejoint Is an Effective Bio-Barrier Species on Mine Covers. JOURNAL OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY 2015; 44:1791-1799. [PMID: 26641331 DOI: 10.2134/jeq2015.02.0106] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Covers with capillary barrier effects (CCBE) are used to prevent acid mine drainage from mine wastes in the short term. However, the long-term efficiency of CCBE can be affected by trees because their roots may reduce the ability of covers to limit oxygen migration and also physically damage the CCBE. Two plant species that are native to boreal Canada, bluejoint () and sheep laurel (, were selected as bio-barrier species (BBS) to test if they reduce the growth and root system architecture of trees established on mine covers (balsam poplar [], willow [ spp], and black spruce []). The experiment was established in 2008 on a mine tailings impoundment located in northwestern Quebec, Canada. Trees were measured for height, diameter, and biomass. Coarse roots were excavated from the plots and digitized in three dimensions. Compared with the control (no BBS), bluejoint strongly decreased tree height and diameter increment, biomass, maximum root depth and radial extension, total root length and volume, and number of second- and third-order tree roots. Height and diameter increment, biomass, maximum root depth and volume, and number of second-order roots of balsam poplar increased with sheep laurel compared with control conditions, whereas willow showed no response to this treatment. Most characteristics of black spruce (except root-to-shoot ratio and number of second-order roots) improved in the presence of sheep laurel compared with the control. Thus, bluejoint was a more efficient BBS than sheep laurel. Bio-barriers comprised of bluejoint can be used as a countermeasure for controlling tree invasion of CCBE.
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38
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Frank DA, Pontes AW, Maine EM, Fridley JD. Fine-scale belowground species associations in temperate grassland. Mol Ecol 2015; 24:3206-16. [PMID: 25951537 DOI: 10.1111/mec.13232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2015] [Revised: 05/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/05/2015] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Evaluating how belowground processes contribute to plant community dynamics is hampered by limited information on the spatial structure of root communities at the scale that plants interact belowground. In this study, roots were mapped to the nearest one mm and molecularly identified by species on vertical (0-15 cm deep) surfaces of soil blocks excavated from dry and mesic grasslands in Yellowstone National Park (YNP) to examine the spatial relationships among species at the scale that roots interact. Our results indicated that average interspecific root - root distances for the majority of species were within a distance (3 mm) that roots have been shown to compete for resources. Most species placed their roots at random, although low root numbers for many species probably led to overestimating the occurrence of random patterns. According to theory, we expected that most of the remaining species would segregate their root systems to avoid competition. Instead we found that more species aggregated than segregated from others. Based on previous investigations, we hypothesize that species aggregate to increase uptake of water, nitrogen and/or phosphorus made available by neighbouring roots, or as a consequence of a reduction in the pathogenicity of soil biota growing in multispecies mixtures. Our results indicate that YNP grassland root communities are organized as closely interdigitating networks of species that potentially can support strong interactions among many species combinations. Future root research should address the prevalence and functional consequences of species aggregation across plant communities.
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Affiliation(s)
- Douglas A Frank
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Alyssa W Pontes
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Eleanor M Maine
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
| | - Jason D Fridley
- Department of Biology, Syracuse University, 107 College Place, Syracuse, NY, 13244, USA
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Croft SA, Pitchford JW, Hodge A. Fishing for nutrients in heterogeneous landscapes: modelling plant growth trade-offs in monocultures and mixed communities. AOB PLANTS 2015; 7:plv109. [PMID: 26371292 PMCID: PMC4641210 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plv109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/12/2014] [Accepted: 08/10/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The problem of how best to find and exploit essential resources, the quality and locations of which are unknown, is common throughout biology. For plants, the need to grow an efficient root system so as to acquire patchily distributed soil nutrients is typically complicated by competition between plants, and by the costs of maintaining the root system. Simple mechanistic models for root growth can help elucidate these complications, and here we argue that these models can be usefully informed by models initially developed for foraging fish larvae. Both plant and fish need to efficiently search a spatio-temporally variable environment using simple algorithms involving only local information, and both must perform this task against a backdrop of intra- and inter-specific competition and background mortality. Here we develop these parallels by using simple stochastic models describing the growth and efficiency of four contrasting idealized root growth strategies. We show that plants which grow identically in isolation in homogeneous substrates will typically perform very differently when grown in monocultures, in heterogeneous nutrient landscapes and in mixed-species competition. In particular, our simulations show a consistent result that plants which trade-off rapid growth in favour of a more efficient and durable root system perform better, both on average and in terms of the best performing individuals, than more rapidly growing ephemeral root systems. Moreover, when such slower growing but more efficient plants are grown in competition, the overall community productivity can exceed that of the constituent monocultures. These findings help to disentangle many of the context-dependent behaviours seen in the experimental literature, and may form a basis for future studies at the level of complex population dynamics and life history evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Simon Antony Croft
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis (YCCSA), The Ron Cooke Hub, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5GE, UK
| | - Jonathan W Pitchford
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis (YCCSA), The Ron Cooke Hub, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5GE, UK
| | - Angela Hodge
- Department of Biology, University of York, Wentworth Way, York YO10 5DD, UK
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McNickle GG, Deyholos MK, Cahill JF. Nutrient foraging behaviour of four co‐occurring perennial grassland plant species alone does not predict behaviour with neighbours. Funct Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12508] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gordon G. McNickle
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6G 2E9 Canada
| | - Michael K. Deyholos
- Biology Department University of British Columbia Okanagan Campus 1177 Research Road Kelowna British Columbia V1V 1V7 Canada
| | - James F. Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta Edmonton Alberta T6G 2E9 Canada
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41
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Belter PR, Cahill JF. Disentangling root system responses to neighbours: identification of novel root behavioural strategies. AOB PLANTS 2015; 7:plv059. [PMID: 26019230 PMCID: PMC4512042 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plv059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/04/2014] [Accepted: 05/12/2015] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Plants live in a social environment, with interactions among neighbours a ubiquitous aspect of life. Though many of these interactions occur in the soil, our understanding of how plants alter root growth and the patterns of soil occupancy in response to neighbours is limited. This is in contrast to a rich literature on the animal behavioural responses to changes in the social environment. For plants, root behavioural changes that alter soil occupancy patterns can influence neighbourhood size and the frequency or intensity of competition for soil resources; issues of fundamental importance to understanding coexistence and community assembly. Here we report a large comparative study in which individuals of 20 species were grown with and without each of two neighbour species. Through repeated root visualization and analyses, we quantified many putative root behaviours, including the extent to which each species altered aspects of root system growth (e.g. rooting breadth, root length, etc.) in response to neighbours. Across all species, there was no consistent behavioural response to neighbours (i.e. no general tendencies towards root over-proliferation nor avoidance). However, there was a substantial interspecific variation showing a continuum of behavioural variation among the 20 species. Multivariate analyses revealed two novel and predominant root behavioural strategies: (i) size-sensitivity, in which focal plants reduced their overall root system size in response to the presence of neighbours, and (ii) location-sensitivity, where focal plants adjusted the horizontal and vertical placement of their roots in response to neighbours. Of these, size-sensitivity represents the commonly assumed response to competitive encounters-reduced growth. However, location sensitivity is not accounted for in classic models and concepts of plant competition, though it is supported from recent work in plant behavioural ecology. We suggest that these different strategies could have important implications for the ability of a plant to persist in the face of strong competitors, and that location sensitivity may be a critical behavioural strategy promoting competitive tolerance and coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pamela R Belter
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9
| | - James F Cahill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada T6G 2E9
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42
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Yang L, Callaway RM, Atwater DZ. Root contact responses and the positive relationship between intraspecific diversity and ecosystem productivity. AOB PLANTS 2015; 7:plv053. [PMID: 25990363 PMCID: PMC4501516 DOI: 10.1093/aobpla/plv053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2014] [Accepted: 04/22/2015] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
High species and functional group richness often has positive effects on ecosystem function including increasing productivity. Recently, intraspecific diversity has been found to have similar effects, but because traits vary far less within a species than among species we have a much poorer understanding of the mechanisms by which intraspecific diversity affects ecosystem function. We explored the potential for identity recognition among the roots of different Pseudoroegneria spicata accessions to contribute to previously demonstrated overyielding in plots with high intraspecific richness of this species relative to monocultures. First, we found that when plants from different populations were planted together in pots the total biomass yield was 30 % more than in pots with two plants from the same population. Second, we found that the elongation rates of roots of Pseudoroegneria plants decreased more after contact with roots from another plant from the same population than after contact with roots from a plant from a different population. These results suggest the possibility of some form of detection and avoidance mechanism among more closely related Pseudoroegneria plants. If decreased growth after contact results in reduced root overlap, and reduced root overlap corresponds with reduced growth and productivity, then variation in detection and avoidance among related and unrelated accessions may contribute to how ecotypic diversity in Pseudoroegneria increases productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lixue Yang
- Division of Biological Sciences and the Institute on Ecosystems, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA School of Forestry, Northeast Forestry University, Harbin 150040, China
| | - Ragan M Callaway
- Division of Biological Sciences and the Institute on Ecosystems, The University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Daniel Z Atwater
- Department of Plant Pathology, Physiology, and Weed Science, Virginia Tech University, Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
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Reid CR, Garnier S, Beekman M, Latty T. Information integration and multiattribute decision making in non-neuronal organisms. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2014.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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44
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Souza GM, Lüttge U. Stability as a Phenomenon Emergent from Plasticity–Complexity–Diversity in Eco-physiology. PROGRESS IN BOTANY 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-08807-5_9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
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45
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Paya AM, Silverberg JL, Padgett J, Bauerle TL. X-ray computed tomography uncovers root-root interactions: quantifying spatial relationships between interacting root systems in three dimensions. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2015; 6:274. [PMID: 25972880 PMCID: PMC4413727 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2015.00274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2014] [Accepted: 04/06/2015] [Indexed: 05/04/2023]
Abstract
Research in the field of plant biology has recently demonstrated that inter- and intra-specific interactions belowground can dramatically alter root growth. Our aim was to answer questions related to the effect of inter- vs. intra-specific interactions on the growth and utilization of undisturbed space by fine roots within three dimensions (3D) using micro X-ray computed tomography. To achieve this, Populus tremuloides (quaking aspen) and Picea mariana (black spruce) seedlings were planted into containers as either solitary individuals, or inter-/intra-specific pairs, allowed to grow for 2 months, and 3D metrics developed in order to quantify their use of belowground space. In both aspen and spruce, inter-specific root interactions produced a shift in the vertical distribution of the root system volume, and deepened the average position of root tips when compared to intra-specifically growing seedlings. Inter-specific interactions also increased the minimum distance between root tips belonging to the same root system. There was no effect of belowground interactions on the radial distribution of roots, or the directionality of lateral root growth for either species. In conclusion, we found that significant differences were observed more often when comparing controls (solitary individuals) and paired seedlings (inter- or intra-specific), than when comparing inter- and intra-specifically growing seedlings. This would indicate that competition between neighboring seedlings was more responsible for shifting fine root growth in both species than was neighbor identity. However, significant inter- vs. intra-specific differences were observed, which further emphasizes the importance of biological interactions in competition studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander M. Paya
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY, USA
| | | | - Jennifer Padgett
- School of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY, USA
| | - Taryn L. Bauerle
- School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell UniversityIthaca, NY, USA
- *Correspondence: Taryn L. Bauerle, School of Integrative Plant Science, Cornell University, 134A Plant Science Bldg., Ithaca 14853, NY, USA
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46
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Depuydt S. Arguments for and against self and non-self root recognition in plants. FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2014; 5:614. [PMID: 25414719 PMCID: PMC4222137 DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2014.00614] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/20/2014] [Indexed: 05/22/2023]
Abstract
Root-root interaction research gained more and more attention over the past few years. Roots are pivotal for plant survival because they ensure uptake of water and nutrients. Therefore, detection of adjacent roots might lead to competitive advantages. Several lines of experimental evidence suggest that roots have ways to discriminate non-related roots, kin, and-importantly-that they can sense self/non-self roots to avoid intra-plant competition. In this mini-review, the existence of self/non-self recognition in plant roots will be discussed and the current knowledge on the mechanisms that could be involved will be summarized. Although the process of identity recognition is still not completely understood, interesting data are available and emerging new technologies will certainly aid to better understand this research field that can have an important biological, ecological, and agricultural impact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stephen Depuydt
- Ghent University Global Campus, Incheon, South Korea
- Department of Plant Biotechnology and Bioinformatics, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
- Department of Plant Systems Biology, Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, Ghent, Belgium
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Li RJ, Sun Y, Sun B, Wang XN, Liu SS, Zhou JC, Ye JP, Zhao Y, Liu L, Lee KH, Lou HX. Phytotoxic cis-clerodane diterpenoids from the Chinese liverwort Scapania stephanii. PHYTOCHEMISTRY 2014; 105:85-91. [PMID: 24947338 DOI: 10.1016/j.phytochem.2014.05.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/03/2013] [Revised: 03/20/2014] [Accepted: 05/23/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Five cis-clerodane diterpenoids, stephanialides A-E, along with seven known cis-clerodanes, scaparvins A-C, parvitexins B and C, 3-chloro-4-hydroxy-parvitexin A, and scapanialide B, were isolated from the Chinese liverwort Scapania stephanii. Their structures were established unequivocally on the basis of spectroscopic data. The absolute configuration of stephanialide A was determined by analysis of CD data using the octant rule. Phytotoxic activity evaluation showed that this type of diterpenoids can significantly inhibit root elongation of the seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana, Lepidium sativum and Brassica pekinensis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rui-Juan Li
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Yi Sun
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Bin Sun
- National Glycoengineering Research Center, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Xiao-Ning Wang
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Shan-Shan Liu
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Jin-Chuan Zhou
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Jian-Ping Ye
- Guangxi Mount. Maoer National Nature Reserve, Guilin 541001, PR China
| | - Yu Zhao
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Lei Liu
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China
| | - Kuo-Hsiung Lee
- Natural Products Research Laboratories, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7568, United States
| | - Hong-Xiang Lou
- Department of Natural Products Chemistry, Key Lab of Chemical Biology of Ministry of Education, Shandong University, Jinan 250012, PR China.
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48
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Rodríguez MV, Bertiller MB. Temporal asynchrony in fine-root biomass may contribute to shrub and grass coexistence in mixed patches. AUSTRAL ECOL 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/aec.12110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Mónica Beatriz Bertiller
- Centro Nacional Patagónico (CONICET); Boulevard Brown 2825 9120 Puerto Madryn Chubut Argentina
- Universidad Nacional de la Patagonia San Juan Bosco; Puerto Madryn Chubut Argentina
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49
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Effects of narrow plant spacing on root distribution and physiological nitrogen use efficiency in summer maize. ACTA ACUST UNITED AC 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cj.2013.07.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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50
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Meier IC, Angert A, Falik O, Shelef O, Rachmilevitch S. Increased root oxygen uptake in pea plants responding to non-self neighbors. PLANTA 2013; 238:577-86. [PMID: 23779000 DOI: 10.1007/s00425-013-1910-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 05/08/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies have demonstrated that plants alter root growth and decrease competition with roots of the same individual (self); however, the physiological traits accompanying this response are still widely unknown. In this study, we investigated the effect of root identity on gas exchange in the model species pea (Pisum sativum L.). Split-root plants were planted so that each pot contained either two roots of the same plant (self) or of two different plants (non-self), and the responses of biomass, photosynthesis, and respiration were measured. The photosynthetic rate was not affected by the identity of the root neighbor. We found a reduction of leaf dark respiration by half, accompanied by an increase in nocturnal root respiration by 29 % in plants neighboring with non-self. The activity of the alternative oxidase (AOX) pathway increased when plants responded to non-self neighbors. The increased activity of AOX in plants responding to non-self indicates carbon imbalances in roots, possibly as a consequence of increased root exudation and communication between individuals. If such an effect occurs more widely, it may change the assumptions made for the quantity of respiration as used in carbon budget models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ina Christin Meier
- French Associates Institute for Agriculture and Biotechnology of Drylands, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, 84990, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel.
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