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Turning the table: plants consume microbes as a source of nutrients.

ABSTRACT: Interactions between plants and microbes in soil, the final frontier of ecology, determine the availability of nutrients to plants and thereby primary production of terrestrial ecosystems. Nutrient cycling in soils is considered a battle between autotrophs and heterotrophs in which the latter usually outcompete the former, although recent studies have questioned the unconditional reign of microbes on nutrient cycles and the plants' dependence on microbes for breakdown of organic matter. Here we present evidence indicative of a more active role of plants in nutrient cycling than currently considered. Using fluorescent-labeled non-pathogenic and non-symbiotic strains of a bacterium and a fungus (Escherichia coli and Saccharomyces cerevisiae, respectively), we demonstrate that microbes enter root cells and are subsequently digested to release nitrogen that is used in shoots. Extensive modifications of root cell walls, as substantiated by cell wall outgrowth and induction of genes encoding cell wall synthesizing, loosening and degrading enzymes, may facilitate the uptake of microbes into root cells. Our study provides further evidence that the autotrophy of plants has a heterotrophic constituent which could explain the presence of root-inhabiting microbes of unknown ecological function. Our discovery has implications for soil ecology and applications including future sustainable agriculture with efficient nutrient cycles.

SUBMITTER: Paungfoo-Lonhienne C

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2912860 | biostudies-literature | 2010

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Turning the table: plants consume microbes as a source of nutrients.

Paungfoo-Lonhienne Chanyarat C Rentsch Doris D Robatzek Silke S Webb Richard I RI Sagulenko Evgeny E Näsholm Torgny T Schmidt Susanne S Lonhienne Thierry G A TG

PloS one 20100730 7

Interactions between plants and microbes in soil, the final frontier of ecology, determine the availability of nutrients to plants and thereby primary production of terrestrial ecosystems. Nutrient cycling in soils is considered a battle between autotrophs and heterotrophs in which the latter usually outcompete the former, although recent studies have questioned the unconditional reign of microbes on nutrient cycles and the plants' dependence on microbes for breakdown of organic matter. Here we ...[more]

PMID: 20689833

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Project description:Rhizosphere microbial communities exert critical roles in plant health, nutrient cycling, and soil fertility. Despite the essential functions conferred by microbes, the source and acquisition of the rhizosphere are not entirely clear. Therefore, we investigated microbial community diversity and potential source using the only two native Antarctic plants, Deschampsia antarctica (Da) and Colobanthus quitensis (Cq), as models. We interrogated rhizosphere and bulk soil microbiomes at six locations in the Byers Peninsula, Livingston Island, Antarctica, both individual plant species and their association (Da.Cq). Our results show that host plant species influenced the richness and diversity of bacterial communities in the rhizosphere. Here, the Da rhizosphere showed the lowest richness and diversity of bacteria compared to Cq and Da.Cq rhizospheres. In contrast, for rhizosphere fungal communities, plant species only influenced diversity, whereas the rhizosphere of Da exhibited higher fungal diversity than the Cq rhizosphere. Also, we found that environmental geographic pressures (i.e., sampling site, latitude, and altitude) and, to a lesser extent, biotic factors (i.e., plant species) determined the species turnover between microbial communities. Moreover, our analysis shows that the sources of the bacterial communities in the rhizosphere were local soils that contributed to homogenizing the community composition of the different plant species growing in the same sampling site. In contrast, the sources of rhizosphere fungi were local (for Da and Da.Cq) and distant soils (for Cq). Here, the host plant species have a specific effect in acquiring fungal communities to the rhizosphere. However, the contribution of unknown sources to the fungal rhizosphere (especially in Da and Da.Cq) indicates the existence of relevant stochastic processes in acquiring these microbes. Our study shows that rhizosphere microbial communities differ in their composition and diversity. These differences are explained mainly by the microbial composition of the soils that harbor them, acting together with plant species-specific effects. Both plant species acquire bacteria from local soils to form part of their rhizosphere. Seemingly, the acquisition process is more complex for fungi. We identified a significant contribution from unknown fungal sources due to stochastic processes and known sources from soils across the Byers Peninsula.

Project description:Exploring alternative fertilizers is crucial in agriculture due to the cost and environmental impact of inorganic options. This study investigated the potential of sewage-derived biofertilizers on the growth and physiology of Amaranthus cruentus plants. Various treatments were compared, including control treatments with inorganic fertilizer and treatments with biofertilizers composed of microalgae, biosolids and reclaimed water. The following traits were investigated: photosynthetic pigments, gas exchange, growth, and leaf nutrient concentrations. The results showed that the concentrations of N, P, Cu, Fe Zn and Na nutrients, in the dry microalgae and biosolids, were quite high for the needs of the plants. The wet microalgae presented high concentration of Cu, Fe and Zn nutrients while reclaimed water contained high concentration of N, K, Ca and S. Na and Zn nutrients increased in the leaf of plants treated with dry microalgae and biosolid, respectively. At the beginning of the flowering phase, total chlorophyll and carotenoids contents were lower for plants grown with wet microalgae while for plants grown with higher doses of biosolid or reclaimed water total chlorophyll was increased, and carotenoids were not affected. Lower photosynthetic pigments under wet microalgae resulted in lower photosynthetic rates. On the other hand, amendments with dry microalgae and biosolid increased photosynthetic rates with the biosolid being the most effective. Higher applications of biosolid, wet and dry microalgae produced a considerable increase in shoot biomass of amaranth, with the dry microalgae being the most effective. Additionally, reclaimed water obtained after tertiary treatment of sewage with microalgae and biosolids applied alone showed promising effects on plant growth. Overall, these findings suggest that organic fertilizers derived from sewage treatment have the potential to enhance plant growth and contribute to sustainable agricultural practices.

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Turning the table: plants consume microbes as a source of nutrients.

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Turning the table: plants consume microbes as a source of nutrients.

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