Record ID No. |
1913 |
Author(s) |
Broeckling C.D., Broz A.K., Bergelson J., Manter D.K., Vivanco J.M , 2008 |
Affiliation |
Colorado State Univ, Dept Hort & Landscape Architecture, Ft Collins,CO 80523 USA |
Title |
Root exudates regulate soil fungal community composition and diversty |
Source. Vol.(no):Page |
Applied and Environmental Microbiology.74(3):738-744p. |
Categories |
Arbuscular Mycorrhiza |
Subjects |
Biochemistry |
Sub-subjects |
Miscellaneous |
Organism |
n.a. |
Country |
United States |
Abstracts |
Plants are in constant contact with a community of soil biota that contains fungi
ranging from pathogenic to symbiotic. A few studies have demonstrated a critical role of chemical
communication in establishing highly specialized relationships, but the general role for root
exudates in structuring the soil fungal community is poorly described. This study demonstrates
that two model plant species (Arabidopsis thaliana and Medicago truncatula) are able to maintain
resident soil fungal populations but unable to maintain nonresident soil fungal populations. This
is mediated largely through root exudates: the effects of adding in vitro-generated root exudates
to the soil fungal community were qualitatively and quantitatively similar to the results
observed for plants grown in those same soils. This effect is observed for total fungal biomass,
phylotype diversity, and overall community similarity to the starting community. Nonresident
plants and root exudates influenced the fungal community by both positively and negatively
impacting the relative abundance of individual phylotypes. A net increase in fungal biomass was
observed when nonresident root exudates were added to resident plant treatments, suggesting that
increases in specific carbon substrates and/or signaling compounds support an increased soil
fungal population load. This study establishes root exudates as a mechanism through which a plant
is able to regulate soil fungal community composition. |