Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 20, 2026
08:09
Annotation of Plant Gene Function via Combined Genomics, Metabolomics and Informatics
Published on: June 17, 2012
20.6K
Linking Plant Metabolomics with Fungal Functional Dynamics Reveals a Noncanonical S-R-C Adaptive Trajectory
Peilin Chen1,2, John W Taylor3, Cheng Gao1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Microbial Diversity and Innovative Utilization, Institute of Microbiology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
Advanced Science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany)
|March 18, 2026
Summary
Plant leaf metabolites guide fungal community succession, shifting from stress-tolerator to ruderal and competitor strategies. This study reveals how leaf development influences fungal adaptation and function in crop phyllosphere environments.
Area of Science:
- Plant-microbe interactions
- Fungal ecology
- Metabolomics
Background:
- Phyllosphere plant-fungal interactions are vital for crop health.
- The interplay between leaf metabolite dynamics and fungal functional succession is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how developmental shifts in sorghum leaf metabolomes influence fungal life-history strategies.
- To understand the role of leaf metabolites in shaping fungal community dynamics.
Main Methods:
- Field-based holo-omics approach combining genomics, transcriptomics, and metabolomics.
- Analysis of sorghum leaf metabolomes across different developmental stages.
- Assessment of fungal community composition and functional traits.
Main Results:
- Leaf metabolomes drive a temporal trajectory of fungal strategies: stress-tolerator (S), ruderal (R), and competitor (C).
- Antifungal metabolites in young leaves select for S-strategists; maltose abundance during flowering promotes R-strategists.
- Mature plants' secondary metabolites support C-strategists; asynchrony observed between taxonomic and functional diversity.
Conclusions:
- Developmental stage-specific leaf metabolomes are key determinants of phyllosphere fungal adaptation and functioning.
- Metabolite dynamics orchestrate fungal community assembly and functional trait expression.
More Related Videos
Related Concept Videos
01:40Overview of Metabolism
40.7K
Living cells constantly carry out various chemical reactions which are necessary for their proper functioning. These reactions are interlinked to one another via multiple pathways. The collection of these chemical reactions is known as metabolism.
Plant Metabolism
Sunlight, the primary source of energy in plants, is first absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments present in their leaves. Plants then use this energy to carry out photosynthesis, where water is oxidized into oxygen and carbon dioxide...
Plant Metabolism
Sunlight, the primary source of energy in plants, is first absorbed by the chlorophyll pigments present in their leaves. Plants then use this energy to carry out photosynthesis, where water is oxidized into oxygen and carbon dioxide...
40.7K
02:11The Roles of Bacteria and Fungi in Plant Nutrition
48.3K
Plants have the impressive ability to create their own food through photosynthesis. However, plants often require assistance from organisms in the soil to acquire the nutrients they need to function correctly. Both bacteria and fungi have evolved symbiotic relationships with plants that help the species to thrive in a wide variety of environments.
48.3K
01:09Microbe-Plant Interactions
6
Microbe-plant interactions represent a dynamic spectrum of associations shaped by intricate chemical signaling. These interactions can be neutral, beneficial, or detrimental, and profoundly influence plant physiology, growth, and ecosystem function. The plant microbiome, comprising bacteria, fungi, archaea, protists, and viruses, plays a pivotal role in mediating these effects through surface colonization, internal colonization, or systemic symbiosis.Mutualistic associations, particularly with...
6
01:28Global Regulatory Systems
845
Global regulatory systems in bacteria enable rapid and coordinated responses to environmental changes by integrating sensory inputs with gene expression, ensuring efficient adaptation to fluctuating conditions. Key global regulatory mechanisms include regulons, two-component systems, sigma factors, and secondary messengers.Regulons and Global RegulatorsA regulon is a collection of genes and operons controlled by a common global regulator. These regulators enable bacteria to prioritize resource...
845
01:24Evolution of New Traits in Microbes
3
Microorganisms evolve rapidly due to their large population sizes and short generation times, often exhibiting measurable changes within days under laboratory conditions. Natural selection acts on standing genetic variation, enabling the retention and amplification of beneficial traits that confer fitness advantages in changing environments.Adaptive Pigment Regulation in RhodobacterIn Rhodobacter, a genus of purple non-sulfur bacteria, light-harvesting pigments such as bacteriochlorophyll and...
3