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Symbiosis limits establishment of legumes outside their native range at a global scale.

ABSTRACT: Microbial symbiosis is integral to plant growth and reproduction, but its contribution to global patterns of plant distribution is unknown. Legumes (Fabaceae) are a diverse and widely distributed plant family largely dependent on symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, which are acquired from soil after germination. This dependency is predicted to limit establishment in new geographic areas, owing to a disruption of compatible host-symbiont associations. Here we compare non-native establishment patterns of symbiotic and non-symbiotic legumes across over 3,500 species, covering multiple independent gains and losses of rhizobial symbiosis. We find that symbiotic legume species have spread to fewer non-native regions compared to non-symbiotic legumes, providing strong support for the hypothesis that lack of suitable symbionts or environmental conditions required for effective nitrogen-fixation are driving these global introduction patterns. These results highlight the importance of mutualisms in predicting non-native species establishment and the potential impacts of microbial biogeography on global plant distributions.

SUBMITTER: Simonsen AK

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5385628 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Apr

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Symbiosis limits establishment of legumes outside their native range at a global scale.

Simonsen Anna K AK Dinnage Russell R Barrett Luke G LG Prober Suzanne M SM Thrall Peter H PH

Nature communications 20170407

Microbial symbiosis is integral to plant growth and reproduction, but its contribution to global patterns of plant distribution is unknown. Legumes (Fabaceae) are a diverse and widely distributed plant family largely dependent on symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing rhizobia, which are acquired from soil after germination. This dependency is predicted to limit establishment in new geographic areas, owing to a disruption of compatible host-symbiont associations. Here we compare non-native establishment ...[more]

PMID: 28387250

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Symbiosis limits establishment of legumes outside their native range at a global scale.

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Symbiosis limits establishment of legumes outside their native range at a global scale.

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