Bell, CA orcid.org/0000-0002-7437-2793, Magkourilou, E, Urwin, PE orcid.org/0000-0003-0398-2372 et al. (1 more author) (2021) The influence of competing root symbionts on below-ground plant resource allocation. Ecology and Evolution, 11 (7). pp. 2997-3003. ISSN 2045-7758
Abstract
1. Plants typically interact with multiple above- and below-ground organisms simultaneously, with their symbiotic relationships spanning a continuum ranging from mutualism, such as with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), to parasitism, including symbioses with plant-parasitic nematodes (PPN).
2. Although research is revealing the patterns of plant resource allocation to mutualistic AMF partners under different host and environmental constraints, the root ecosystem, with multiple competing symbionts, is often ignored. Such competition is likely to heavily influence resource allocation to symbionts.
3. Here, we outline and discuss the competition between AMF and PPN for the finite supply of host plant resources, highlighting the need for a more holistic understanding of the influence of below-ground interactions on plant resource allocation. Based on recent developments in our understanding of other symbiotic systems such as legume–rhizobia and AMF-aphid-plant, we propose hypotheses for the distribution of plant resources between contrasting below-ground symbionts and how such competition may affect the host.
4. We identify relevant knowledge gaps at the physiological and molecular scales which, if resolved, will improve our understanding of the true ecological significance and potential future exploitation of AMF-PPN-plant interactions in order to optimize plant growth. To resolve these outstanding knowledge gaps, we propose the application of well-established methods in isotope tracing and nutrient budgeting to monitor the movement of nutrients between symbionts. By combining these approaches with novel time of arrival experiments and experimental systems involving multiple plant hosts interlinked by common mycelial networks, it may be possible to reveal the impact of multiple, simultaneous colonizations by competing symbionts on carbon and nutrient flows across ecologically important scales.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd. This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | arbuscular mycorrhiza; competition; mutualism; parasitism; plant-parasitic nematodes; resource allocation; symbiosis |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Biological Sciences (Leeds) > School of Biology (Leeds) |
Funding Information: | Funder Grant number BBSRC (Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council) BB/M026825/1 |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 04 Feb 2021 16:21 |
Last Modified: | 24 Jun 2021 15:09 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley Open Access |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/ece3.7292 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:170715 |