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Mutualism breakdown in breadfruit domestication.

Xiaoke Xing1, Alexander M Koch, A Maxwell P Jones

  • 1Institute of Medicinal Plant Development, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
|September 17, 2011
PubMed
Summary

Plant domestication, focusing on breadfruit, reveals a decline in beneficial arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMs) in roots. This suggests human selection for crop traits may negatively impact below-ground symbionts and crop resilience.

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Area of Science:

  • Plant biology
  • Ecology
  • Agriculture

Background:

  • Below-ground microbial communities are often overlooked in plant domestication research.
  • While root symbiont changes are studied, the impact on mycorrhizal responses in domesticated crops remains unclear.
  • Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form crucial symbiotic relationships with plants, aiding nutrient uptake and stress tolerance.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the influence of breadfruit domestication on arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization and fungal species richness.
  • To test the hypothesis that selection for above-ground traits during domestication leads to reduced root mycorrhizal abundance.

Main Methods:

  • Examined breadfruit (Artocarpus sp.) cultivars along a domestication gradient from wild to derived forms.
  • Quantified arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization rates (vesicular and arbuscular) in breadfruit roots.
  • Utilized molecular analyses to assess AM fungal species richness in root samples.

Main Results:

  • A significant decrease in AM colonization rates was observed in more recently derived breadfruit cultivars compared to wild types.
  • Molecular analyses revealed a corresponding decrease in AM fungal species richness along the domestication gradient.
  • These findings indicate a negative correlation between breadfruit domestication intensity and below-ground mycorrhizal associations.

Conclusions:

  • Human-driven selection for desirable crop traits during domestication can unintentionally reduce beneficial below-ground mutualists like AMF.
  • The decline in AMF may have significant implications for crop stress tolerance and long-term food security.
  • Further research is needed to understand and mitigate the unintended consequences of domestication on plant-microbe interactions.