Functional team selection as a framework for local adaptation in plants and their belowground microbiomes.

Area of Science:

• Plant biology
• Microbiology
• Ecology

Background:

• Multicellular organisms host diverse microbiomes, with plant microbiomes influencing nutrition, defense, and stress tolerance.
• Belowground microbiomes can facilitate plant adaptation to local environments under specific conditions.
• Understanding these interactions is crucial for agricultural applications and managing host-microbe systems.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a functional team selection (FTS) framework for predicting conditions under which root microbiomes promote local adaptation in plants.
• To view plants and their microbiomes as complex adaptive systems where plant adaptations emerge from these interactions.

Main Methods:

• Conceptual review and framework development.
• Analysis of plant-microbiome interactions as emergent properties of complex adaptive systems.
• Identification of key factors influencing microbiome-mediated plant adaptation: selective force, host constitution, microbial diversity, and time.

Main Results:

• The FTS framework posits that plants can evolve adaptation by actively curating their microbiomes.
• In stressful or resource-limited environments, microbial communities can create positive feedback loops enhancing plant vigor and local adaptation.
• The framework integrates host recognition of microbes and microbial community dynamics.

Conclusions:

• The FTS framework offers a predictive model for developing robust plant-microbiome systems in agriculture.
• This approach may improve crop production, reduce pathogen impact, and enhance the efficacy of microbial inoculants.
• Insights from FTS can advance the understanding and management of diverse host-microbe interactions beyond plants.