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Shoot-Root Interplay Mediates Defoliation-Induced Plant Legacy Effect.

ABSTRACT: Shoot defoliation by grazers or mowing can affect root traits of grassland species, which may subsequently affect its aboveground traits and ecosystem functioning (e.g., aboveground primary production). However, experimental evidence for such reciprocal feedback between shoots and roots is limited. We grew the perennial grass Leymus chinensis-common across the eastern Eurasian steppe-as model species in a controlled-hydroponics experiment, and then removed half of its shoots, half of its roots, or a combination of both. We measured a range of plant aboveground and belowground traits (e.g., phenotypic characteristics, photosynthetic traits, root architecture) in response to the shoot and/or root removal treatments. We found the regenerated biomass was less than the lost biomass under both shoot defoliation and root severance, generating a under-compensatory growth. Root biomass was reduced by 60.11% in the defoliation treatment, while root severance indirectly reduced shoot biomass by 40.49%, indicating a feedback loop between shoot and root growth. This defoliation-induced shoot-root feedback was mediated by the disproportionate response and allometry of plant traits. Further, the effect of shoot defoliation and root severance on trait plasticity of L. chinensis was sub-additive. That is, the combined effects of the two treatments were less than the sum of their independent effects, resulting in a buffering effect on the existing negative influences on plant persistence by increased photosynthesis. Our results highlight the key role of trait plasticity in driving shoot-root reciprocal feedbacks and growth persistence in grassland plants, especially perennial species. This knowledge adds to earlier findings of legacy effects and can be used to determine the resilience of grasslands.

SUBMITTER: Li X

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8374956 | biostudies-literature |

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Project description:Much effort has been directed toward increasing the availability of soil residual phosphorus (P). However, little information is available for the P fertilization-induced biotic P legacy and its mediation of plant P uptake. We collected microbial inocula from a monoculture maize field site with a 10-year P-fertilization history. A greenhouse experiment was conducted to investigate whether bacterial communities, as a result of different P-fertilization history (nil P, 33 and/or 131 kg P kg ha-1 yr-1), affected the growth of a conspecific (maize) or heterospecific (clover) plant, at two levels of current P application (5 and 30 mg P kg-1 soil; P5 and P30). Deep amplicon sequencing (16S rRNA) was used to determine the maize and clover root-associated bacterial microbiome in different rhizocompartments (rhizoplane, rhizosphere, bulk soil). For both maize and clover, rhizocompartment and host identity were the dominant factors shaping bacterial assemblages, followed by P supply level and the inoculum effect was smallest. Bacterial operational taxonomic unit (OTU) numbers decreased from bulk soil to rhizoplane, whilst specific OTUs were enriched from bulk soil to rhizoplane. A clear hierarchical habitat filtering of bacterial communities was observed in the rhizoplane of the two plant species. The functional prediction of dominant bacterial taxa in the rhizoplane differed between clover and maize, and clover microbiota were more closely associated with P metabolism and maize with carbon cycling. More connected and complex interactions were observed in the clover rhizoplane compared to maize. The microbial legacy effect caused by long-term P fertilization is overridden by host identity and rhizocompartment. Our results highlight the importance of crop diversification in improving P efficiency. The fine-tuning of rhizosphere microbiome in host metabolism indicates that the functions of microbial communities should be integrated into P management to increase P use efficiency and sustainable food production.

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Shoot-Root Interplay Mediates Defoliation-Induced Plant Legacy Effect.

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