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Mutualism variation in the nodulation response to nitrate.

K D Heath¹, A J Stock, J R Stinchcombe

¹University of Illinois, Department of Plant Biology, Urbana, IL 61801, USA. kheath@illinois.edu

Journal of Evolutionary Biology

|September 10, 2010

Summary

Plant-rhizobium mutualisms evolve with changing nitrogen levels. The number of nodules formed depends on specific plant and rhizobium genotypes, indicating dynamic coevolution in response to environmental shifts.

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Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on 14NH4+/15NH4+ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N2O

Measurement of the Potential Rates of Dissimilatory Nitrate Reduction to Ammonium Based on ¹⁴NH₄⁺/¹⁵NH₄⁺ Analyses via Sequential Conversion to N₂O

Published on: October 7, 2020

Area of Science:

Ecology
Evolutionary Biology
Microbial Ecology

Background:

Mutualisms are crucial for ecosystem function and respond to environmental change.
Plant-rhizobium symbiosis, vital for nitrogen fixation, is influenced by soil nitrogen availability.
Nitrogen deposition alters soil conditions, potentially impacting plant-microbe coevolution.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the coevolutionary potential of the nodule nitrate response in plant-rhizobium mutualisms.
To assess how varying nitrogen environments affect the interaction between plant and rhizobium genotypes.
To understand the evolutionary dynamics of legume nodulation in response to nitrate.

Main Methods:

Grew combinations of plant and rhizobium genotypes across three distinct nitrogen environments.
Quantified nodulation responses under different nitrogen conditions.
Analyzed genetic variation for nodulation in response to nitrate.

Main Results:

Found evidence of coevolutionary genetic variation in nodulation in response to nitrate.
Observed a significant genotype-by-genotype-by-environment (G × G × E) interaction.
Demonstrated that the plant-rhizobium response to nitrogen deposition is contingent on specific partner genotypes.

Conclusions:

The nodule nitrate response in plant-rhizobium symbioses is not fixed but is subject to natural selection.
Coevolutionary dynamics will shape ecosystem responses to increased nitrogen availability.
Future ecosystem changes will depend on the specific genetic combinations of interacting plant and rhizobium partners.