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Xia Z, Chen BJW, Korpelainen H, Niinemets Ü, Li C. Belowground ecological interactions in dioecious plants: why do opposites attract but similar ones repel? TRENDS IN PLANT SCIENCE 2024; 29:630-637. [PMID: 38485646 DOI: 10.1016/j.tplants.2024.02.009] [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: 12/05/2023] [Revised: 02/06/2024] [Accepted: 02/21/2024] [Indexed: 06/09/2024]
Abstract
Dioecious plant species exhibit sexual dimorphism in various aspects, including morphology, physiology, life history, and behavior, potentially influencing sex-specific interactions. While it is generally accepted that intersexual interactions in dioecious species are less intense compared with intrasexual interactions, the mechanisms underlying belowground facilitation in intersexual combinations remain less understood. Here, we explore these mechanisms, which encompass resource complementarity, mycorrhizal fungal networks, root exudate-mediated belowground chemical communication, as well as plant-soil feedback. We address the reason for the lack of consistency in the strength of inter- and intrasexual interactions. We also propose that a comprehensive understanding of the potential positive consequences of sex-specific interactions can contribute to maintaining ecological equilibrium, conserving biodiversity, and enhancing the productivity of agroforestry.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Xia
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China; School of Forestry & Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei 230036, China
| | - Bin J W Chen
- College of Ecology and Environment, Nanjing Forestry University, Nanjing 210037, China
| | - Helena Korpelainen
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51006, Tartu, Estonia
| | - Chunyang Li
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310058, China.
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Xia Z, He Y, Korpelainen H, Niinemets Ü, Li C. Allelochemicals and soil microorganisms jointly mediate sex-specific belowground interactions in dioecious Populus cathayana. THE NEW PHYTOLOGIST 2023; 240:1519-1533. [PMID: 37615210 DOI: 10.1111/nph.19224] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/25/2023]
Abstract
Little is known about how sex differences in root zone characteristics, such as contents of allelochemicals and soil microbial composition, mediate intra- and intersexual interactions in dioecious plants. We examined the processes and mechanisms of sex-specific belowground interactions mediated by allelochemicals and soil microorganisms in Populus cathayana females and males in replicated 30-yr-old experimental stands in situ and in a series of controlled experiments. Female roots released a greater amount and more diverse phenolic allelochemicals into the soil environment, resulting in growth inhibition of the same sex neighbors and deterioration of the community of soil microorganisms. When grown with males, the growth of females was consistently enhanced, especially the root growth. Compared with female monocultures, the presence of males reduced the total phenolic accumulation in the soil, resulting in a shift from allelopathic inhibition to chemical facilitation. This association was enhanced by a favorable soil bacterial community and increased bacterial diversity, and it induced changes in the orientation of female roots. Our study highlighted a novel mechanism that enhances female performance by males through alterations in the allelochemical content and soil microbial composition. The possibility to improve productivity by chemical mediation provides novel opportunities for managing plantations of dioecious plants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhichao Xia
- School of Forestry & Landscape Architecture, Anhui Agricultural University, Hefei, 230036, China
| | - Yue He
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
| | - Helena Korpelainen
- Department of Agricultural Sciences, Viikki Plant Science Centre, University of Helsinki, PO Box 27, Helsinki, FI-00014, Finland
| | - Ülo Niinemets
- Institute of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Estonian University of Life Sciences, Kreutzwaldi 1, 51006, Tartu, Estonia
- Estonian Academy of Sciences, Kohtu 6, 10130, Tallinn, Estonia
| | - Chunyang Li
- College of Agriculture and Biotechnology, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, 310058, China
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Mazal L, Fajardo A, Till-Bottraud I, Corenblit D, Fumanal B. Kin selection, kin recognition and kin discrimination in plants revisited: A claim for considering environmental and genetic variability. PLANT, CELL & ENVIRONMENT 2023; 46:2007-2016. [PMID: 36916702 DOI: 10.1111/pce.14584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 02/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas Mazal
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Alex Fajardo
- Instituto de Investigación Interdisciplinaria (I3), Vicerrectoría Académica, Universidad de Talca, Campus Lircay, Talca, Chile
| | | | - Dov Corenblit
- Université Clermont Auvergne, CNRS, GEOLAB, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Boris Fumanal
- Université Clermont Auvergne, INRAE, UMR 547 PIAF, Clermont-Ferrand, France
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He Q, Queenborough SA, Zhang Y, Wang W, Li B, Zhao K, Luo W, Tang H, Lin W, Chu C. Effects of tree sex, maturity, local abiotic, and biotic neighborhoods on the growth of a subtropical dioecious tree species Diospyros morrisiana. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 2023; 110:e16124. [PMID: 36652334 DOI: 10.1002/ajb2.16124] [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: 03/09/2022] [Revised: 11/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
PREMISE Understanding the drivers of the growth in long-lived woody trees is the key to predicting their responses to and maintaining their populations under global change. However, the role of tree sex and differential investment to reproduction are often not considered in models of individual tree growth, despite many gymnosperm and angiosperm species having separate male and female sexes. Thus, better models of tree growth should include tree sex and life stage along with the abiotic and biotic neighborhoods. METHODS We used a sex-specific molecular marker to determine the sex of 2188 individual trees >1 cm DBH of the dioecious tree species Diospyros morrisiana in a 50-ha subtropical forest plot in China. We used long-term census data from about 300,000 trees, together with 625 soil samples and 2352 hemispherical photographs to characterize the spatially explicit biotic and abiotic neighborhoods. RESULTS We found a male-biased effective sex ratio and a female-biased overall population sex ratio of D. morrisiana. No sex spatial segregation was detected for the overall population, mature, or immature trees. Immature trees grew faster than mature trees and females grew slower than males. Further, conspecific neighbors significantly decreased tree growth, while the abiotic neighborhood showed no significant effect. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggest that variation in resource allocation patterns within and across individual trees of different sexes and life-history stages should be more widely accounted for in models of tree growth. In addition, our study highlights the importance of sex-specific molecular markers for studying populations of long-lived dioecious tree species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qing He
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Simon A Queenborough
- Yale School of the Environment, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, 06511, USA
| | - Yonghua Zhang
- College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Wenzhou University, Wenzhou, 325000, China
| | - Weitao Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Buhang Li
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Kangning Zhao
- School of Architecture, University of South China, Hengyang, 421001, Hunan, China
| | - Wenqi Luo
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Hui Tang
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Wei Lin
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
| | - Chengjin Chu
- State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol, School of Life Sciences and School of Ecology, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, 510275, China
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Sher J, Bibi F, Jan G, Tomlinson KW, Ayaz A, Zaman W. Kin and Non-Kin Connected Plants Benefit More Than Disconnected Kin and Non-Kin Plants under Nutrient-Competitive Environments. PLANTS (BASEL, SWITZERLAND) 2023; 12:487. [PMID: 36771572 PMCID: PMC9920217 DOI: 10.3390/plants12030487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2022] [Revised: 01/06/2023] [Accepted: 01/17/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
In the natural environment, plants grow and interact with both conspecific and heterospecific neighbours under different environmental conditions. In this study, we tested whether Chenopodium quinoa Willd genotypes differ in growth performance when grown with kin and non-kin under nutrient limitation in pot partitioning treatments. Biomass accumulation, allocation, organ efficiency, and specific leaf area were measured at the end of the experiment. Response variables were differentially impacted by kinship, fertility, and barrier. Total dry mass, shoot dry mass, and root and stem allocation were greater for plants grown with kin in connected pots than with non-kin in connected pots across the nutrient treatments. Kin connected and disconnected plants had a greater specific root length, specific stem length, and average leaf mass than non-kin connected and disconnected plants. Non-kin connected and disconnected plants had greater LAR and SLA than kin connected and disconnected plants under low- and high-nutrient treatments. Plants always grew better in the presence of their kin than non-kin. These results conclude that quinoa plant production benefits from planting closely related individuals under both high- and low-nutrient conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Sher
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
- University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, No. 19A Yuquan Road, Beijing 100049, China
| | - Farkhanda Bibi
- Department of Botany, Garden Campus, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
| | - Gul Jan
- Department of Botany, Garden Campus, Abdul Wali Khan University Mardan, Mardan 23200, Pakistan
| | - Kyle W. Tomlinson
- Center for Integrative Conservation, Xishuangbanna Tropical Botanical Garden Chinese Academy of Sciences, Mengla 666303, China
| | - Asma Ayaz
- State Key Laboratory of Biocatalysis and Enzyme Engineering, School of Life Sciences, Hubei University, Wuhan 430062, China
| | - Wajid Zaman
- Department of Life Sciences, Yeungnam University, Gyeongsan 38541, Republic of Korea
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