Belowground crop responses to root herbivory are associated with the community structure of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi
Article
Article Title | Belowground crop responses to root herbivory are associated with the community structure of native arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi |
---|---|
ERA Journal ID | 5246 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Ng, Anna, Wilson, Bree A.L. and Frew, Adam |
Journal Title | Applied Soil Ecology |
Journal Citation | 185 |
Article Number | 104797 |
Number of Pages | 10 |
Year | 2023 |
Publisher | Elsevier |
Place of Publication | Netherlands |
ISSN | 0929-1393 |
1873-0272 | |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apsoil.2022.104797 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0929139322004139 |
Abstract | There is growing interest in managing arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in agriculture to support plant production. These fungi can support crop growth and nutrient uptake, but also affect plant-herbivore interactions. While our understanding of how AM fungi affect plant responses to herbivory advances, it is less clear how different naturally-occurring (native) fungal communities differentially influence crop responses to root-feeding insects. To explore this, plants (Sorghum bicolor) were grown in a glasshouse experiment without AM fungi (‘no AM fungi’) or with one of three natural soil inocula sourced either from a sclerophyll forest (‘forest inoculum’), a cropped field (‘field inoculum’), or a field in fallow (‘fallow inoculum’), while half the plants were subjected to a root herbivore (Dermolepida albohirtum). We assessed the effects of soil inoculum and root herbivory on root-colonising AM fungal diversity, plant growth, and nutrient content. Root herbivory did not affect AM fungal diversity or composition. Plants grown with the field or fallow inocula were both dominated by the genera Glomus and Claroideoglomus. These plants exhibited reduced biomass in response to inoculation, but were not impacted by root herbivory. In contrast, plants with the forest inoculum had AM fungal communities dominated by Paraglomus and Ambispora. When subjected to root herbivory, the forest inoculated plants and plants without AM fungi exhibited reductions of 44 % and 61 % in root biomass, and reductions of 65 % and 59 % in root phosphorus, respectively. Our study shows inoculation-driven plant responses to root herbivory that were associated with the community structure of their root-colonising AM fungi. Results suggest associations with communities dominated by Claroideoglomus and Glomus may mitigate the impacts of a root-feeding insect. More exploration of how natural assemblages of AM fungi mediate plant-herbivore interactions is needed if we are to effectively manage soil fungi in agriculture. |
Keywords | Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi; Dermolepida albohirtum ; Plant defence ; Root herbivory |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 300409. Crop and pasture protection (incl. pests, diseases and weeds) |
Public Notes | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
Byline Affiliations | Centre for Crop Health |
Institute for Life Sciences and the Environment | |
Western Sydney University |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/z2677/belowground-crop-responses-to-root-herbivory-are-associated-with-the-community-structure-of-native-arbuscular-mycorrhizal-fungi
41
total views0
total downloads2
views this month0
downloads this month