Dataset Information

Presence of Belowground Neighbors Activates Defense Pathways at the Expense of Growth in Tobacco Plants.

ABSTRACT: Plants can detect the presence of their neighbors belowground, often responding with changes in root growth for resource competition. Recent evidence also implies that perception of neighbors may also elicit defense responses, however, the associated metabolic activities are unclear. We investigated primary and defense-related secondary metabolisms and hormone expressions in tobaccos (Nicotiana rustica) grown either with own roots or roots of another conspecifics in hydroponic condition. The results showed that non-self root interaction significantly reduced photosynthetic activity and assimilate production, leading to a reduction of growth. Non-self interaction also modified plant phenylpropanoids metabolism, yielding higher lignin content (i.e., structural resistance) at whole plant level and higher phenolics accumulation (i.e., chemical defense) in roots. All these metabolic responses were associated with enhanced expressions of phytohormones, particularly jasmonic acid, salicylic acid and cytokinin in roots and abscisic acid in leaves, at the early stage of non-self interaction. Since the presence of neighbors often increase the probability of attacks from, e.g., pathogens and pests, this defense activation may act as an adaptation of plants to these possible upcoming attacks.

SUBMITTER: Chen BJW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6584819 | biostudies-literature | 2019

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Presence of Belowground Neighbors Activates Defense Pathways at the Expense of Growth in Tobacco Plants.

Chen Bin J W BJW Hajiboland Roghieh R Bahrami-Rad Sara S Moradtalab Narges N Anten Niels P R NPR

Frontiers in plant science 20190611

Plants can detect the presence of their neighbors belowground, often responding with changes in root growth for resource competition. Recent evidence also implies that perception of neighbors may also elicit defense responses, however, the associated metabolic activities are unclear. We investigated primary and defense-related secondary metabolisms and hormone expressions in tobaccos (<i>Nicotiana rustica</i>) grown either with own roots or roots of another conspecifics in hydroponic condition. ...[more]

PMID: 31263473

Similar Datasets

Project description:There is conclusive evidence that there are fitness costs of plant defense and that herbivores can drive selection for defense. However, most work has focused on above-ground interactions, even though belowground herbivory may have greater impacts on individual plants than above-ground herbivory. Given the role of belowground plant structures in resource acquisition and storage, research on belowground herbivores has much to contribute to theories on the evolution of plant defense. Pocket gophers (Geomyidae) provide an excellent opportunity to study root herbivory. These subterranean rodents spend their entire lives belowground and specialize on consuming belowground plant parts.We compared the root defenses of native forbs from mainland populations (with a history of gopher herbivory) to island populations (free from gophers for up to 500,000 years). Defense includes both resistance against herbivores and tolerance of herbivore damage. We used three approaches to compare these traits in island and mainland populations of two native California forbs: 1) Eschscholzia californica populations were assayed to compare alkaloid deterrents, 2) captive gophers were used to test the palatability of E. californica roots and 3) simulated root herbivory assessed tolerance to root damage in Deinandra fasciculata and E. californica. Mainland forms of E. californica contained 2.5 times greater concentration of alkaloids and were less palatable to gophers than island forms. Mainland forms of D. fasciculata and, to a lesser extent, E. californica were also more tolerant of root damage than island conspecifics. Interestingly, undamaged island individuals of D. fasciculata produced significantly more fruit than either damaged or undamaged mainland individuals.These results suggest that mainland plants are effective at deterring and tolerating pocket gopher herbivory. Results also suggest that both forms of defense are costly to fitness and thus reduced in the absence of the putative target herbivore.

Project description:Plants can defend themselves against herbivores through activation of defensive pathways and attraction of third-trophic-level predators and parasites. Trophic cascades that mediate interactions in the phytobiome are part of a larger dynamic including the pathogens of the plant itself, which are known to greatly influence plant defenses. As such, we investigated the impact of a phloem-limited bacterial pathogen, Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), in cultivated citrus rootstock on a well-studied belowground tritrophic interaction involving the attraction of an entomopathogenic nematode (EPN), Steinernema diaprepesi, to their root-feeding insect hosts, Diaprepes abbreviatus larvae. Using belowground olfactometers, we show how CLas infection interferes with this belowground interaction by similarly inducing the release of a C12 terpene, pregeijerene, and disconnecting the association of the terpene with insect presence. D. abbreviatus larvae that were not feeding but in the presence of a CLas-infected plant were more likely to be infected by EPN than those near uninfected plants. Furthermore, nonfeeding larvae associated with CLas-infected plants were just as likely to be infected by EPN as those near noninfected plants with D. abbreviatus larval damage. Larvae of two weevil species, D. abbreviatus and Pachnaeus litus, were also more attracted to plants with infection than to uninfected plants. D. abbreviatus larvae were most active when exposed to pregeijerene at a concentration of 0.1 μg/μl. We attribute this attraction to CLas-infected plants to the same signal previously thought to be a herbivore-induced plant volatile specifically induced by root-feeding insects, pregeijerene, by assessing volatiles collected from the roots of infected plants and uninfected plants with and without feeding D. abbreviatus. Synthesis. Phytopathogens can influence the structuring of soil communities extending to the third trophic level. Field populations of EPN may be less effective at host-finding using pregeijerene as a cue in citrus grove agroecosystems with high presence of CLas infection.

Dataset Information

Presence of Belowground Neighbors Activates Defense Pathways at the Expense of Growth in Tobacco Plants.

Publications

Presence of Belowground Neighbors Activates Defense Pathways at the Expense of Growth in Tobacco Plants.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets