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Author Spotlight: Enhancing Rhizobacteria Colonization on Plant Roots for Improved Microbial Fertilizer Efficiency
Published on: March 1, 2024
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Relatively rare root endophytic bacteria drive plant resource allocation patterns and tissue nutrient concentration
Jeremiah A Henning1,2, David J Weston3, Dale A Pelletier3
1Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, 569 Dabney Hall, 1416 Circle Drive, Knoxville, TN, 37996, USA.
American Journal of Botany
|October 29, 2019
Summary
Plant endophytic bacteria communities can alter plant traits. Even low-abundance strains significantly influence plant phenotype, challenging the idea that dominant bacteria always drive function.
Area of Science:
- Microbial ecology
- Plant science
- Genomics
Background:
- Plant endophytic bacteria can influence plant traits like leaf area and root length.
- The impact of complex bacterial communities on plant phenotype is less understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how microbial community composition affects plant phenotype.
- To determine if plant responses to microbial communities can be predicted.
Main Methods:
- Two experiments were conducted using Populus deltoides.
- The first experiment involved inoculating plants with single bacterial strains.
- The second experiment tested mixed-strain inoculations to predict phenotypic traits.
Main Results:
- Individual bacterial endophytes had minor effects on plant phenotype.
- In mixed communities, low-abundance Pseudomonas strains disproportionately influenced plant resource allocation and nutrient concentrations.
- Specific strain substitutions altered leaf and root mass fractions.
Conclusions:
- Interactions among endophytic bacteria play a crucial role in shaping plant phenotype.
- Low-abundance bacterial strains can significantly contribute to plant function, contrary to the dominant strain assumption.
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