Root responses to domestication, precipitation and silicification: weeping meadow grass simplifies and alters toughness

Ryalls, James M. W.; Moore, Ben D.; Johnson, Scott N.; Connor, Myles; Hiltpold, Ivan

doi:10.1007/s11104-018-3650-5

Cited by 8 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…In accordance with several previous studies [49,55], our study showed that both fibrous-rooted S. bungeana and tap-rooted L. davurica showed a significant increase in SRL but a decrease in RD, supporting the functional equilibrium hypothesis that plants are more acquisitive under conditions of lower resource availability [56][57][58]. Due to the limited absorption capacity for water and nutrients, shifts to thinner RD and higher SRL can promote root extension ability in dry soils that increases root absorptive area to maximize soil exploration and acquisition of limiting resources [19,59,60].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Drought Eliminates the Difference in Root Trait Plasticity and Mycorrhizal Responsiveness of Two Semiarid Grassland Species with Contrasting Root System

Duan

Feng

et al. 2023

IJMS

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Root traits and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi are important in determining the access of plants to soil resources. However, whether plants with different root systems (i.e., taproot vs. fibrous-root) exhibit different root trait plasticity and mycorrhizal responsiveness under drought remains largely unexplored. Tap-rooted Lespedeza davurica and fibrous-rooted Stipa bungeana were grown in monocultures in sterilized and live soils, followed by a drought treatment. Biomass, root traits, root colonization by AM fungi, and nutrient availability were evaluated. Drought decreased biomass and root diameter but increased the root:shoot ratio (RSR), specific root length (SRL), soil NO3−-N, and available P for the two species. Under control and drought conditions, soil sterilization significantly increased the RSR, SRL, and soil NO3−-N for L. davurica, but this only occurs under drought condition for S. bungeana. Soil sterilization significantly reduced AM fungal root colonization of both species, but drought significantly increased it in live soil. In water-abundant conditions, tap-rooted L. davurica may depend more on AM fungi than fibrous-rooted S. bungeana; however, under drought conditions, AM fungi are of equal importance in favoring both plant species to forage soil resources. These findings provide new insights for understanding the resource utilization strategies under climate change.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 93%

Drought Eliminates the Difference in Root Trait Plasticity and Mycorrhizal Responsiveness of Two Semiarid Grassland Species with Contrasting Root System

Duan

Feng

et al. 2023

IJMS

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“…Several studies exploring the intraspecific responses of root morphological and chemical traits to changing water availability have revealed that both of the hypotheses are tenable (Larson & Funk, 2016;Nguyen et al, 2016;Padilla, Miranda, Jorquera, & Pugnaire, 2009;Ryalls, Moore, Johnson, Connor, & Hiltpold, 2018). For example, Ryalls et al (2018) found that the SRL of a meadow grass (Microlaena stipoides) decreased and diameter and tissue density increased under deluge. These results indicate that plants become less acquisitive under water addition, thus supporting the functional equilibrium hypothesis.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The results on responses of root traits to water treatments mainly came from the greenhouse experiments (Larson & Funk, 2016;Nguyen et al, 2016;Padilla et al, 2009;Ryalls et al, 2018). However, the interactions between plants and environments are more complex and variable in field conditions than in controlled conditions, thus leading to substantial differences in morphological traits between controlled environments and under field conditions (Poorter et al, 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The response of root traits to precipitation change of herbaceous species in temperate steppes

et al. 2019

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Plasticity of root traits plays an important role in plant growth and survival under changing climate. Shift in precipitation is one of the most pertinent global change factors driving changes in structure and function of grasslands. However, few studies have investigated intraspecific variation of root traits in response to precipitation change under field conditions. We conducted a 10‐year simulated increased precipitation experiment in a temperate grassland and a 700‐km regional scale transect along a precipitation gradient ranging from 144.23 to 412.29 mm in northern China. The morphological, chemical and anatomical traits of the first two‐order roots were determined on 15 common herbaceous species in the manipulation experiment and two regionally common species (Leymus chinensis, Artemisia frigida) along a precipitation gradient. We found that most of the root traits of the herbaceous species exhibited no significant responses to water addition. The two regionally common species adjusted their root traits at sites with the annual precipitation lower than certain value, that is 250 and 160 mm for L. chinensis and A. frigida, respectively. These results indicate that root traits of the herbaceous species exhibit little plasticity in response to precipitation change and that the adjustment of root traits occurs when the range of annual precipitation exceeds a certain threshold. Root traits of L. chinensis and A. frigida varied differently both in manipulation experiment and along the precipitation gradient. Root traits of L. chinensis were relatively constant, while A. frigida adjusted their morphological root traits in response to water addition. Moreover, L. chinensis showed higher specific root length (SRL) and area, and root N contents at sites with annual precipitation lower than c. 250 mm. In contrast, A. frigida displayed thicker roots with lower SRL and area at sites with annual precipitation lower than c. 160 mm. Our results showed that root traits of herbaceous species in temperate grasslands exhibited little plasticity and that different species have evolved diverse adaptive strategies in response to precipitation change. These novel findings provide valuable information to predict responses of temperate grasslands to future climate change.

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“…Humidity was controlled at 60%. Half of the plants were supplemented with Si (500 mg L −1 solution of dissolved sodium metasilicate) and half received deionised water alone (c. 23 mL three times a week in both cases) without any amendment, as in Ryalls, Moore, Johnson, Connor, et al (2018) and Johnson et al (2017). The application of Si in the form of Na 2 SiO 3 could slightly increase soil concentrations of sodium (Na), though treatment concentrations were very low (1 mM) and plants would most likely be unaffected as uptake of Na tends to decrease as plants take up Si (Kafi & Rahimi, 2011).…”

Section: Plant and Insect Materialsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Silicon supplementation and jasmonate activation synergistically increase phenolic defences against a legume herbivore

Ryalls,

Gherlenda,

Rowe

et al. 2023

Journal of Ecology

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The accumulation of silicon (Si) is widely reported to have anti‐herbivore defensive properties in grasses. There is emerging, but fragmentary, evidence that Si could play a similar role in legumes. Here, we sought to understand the effects of Si supplementation on anti‐herbivore defensive properties in lucerne (Medicago sativa), especially in relation to other potential defences (i.e. phenolics) and the phytohormone that regulates anti‐herbivore defences, jasmonic acid or jasmonate (JA), which is also linked to Si accumulation. We determined how growth, root nodulation and chemistry (carbon, nitrogen and phenolic concentrations) of four genotypes of lucerne responded to Si supplementation, with and without the application of JA, and we used feeding assays to determine the subsequent effects on the feeding success of adult Sitona discoideus weevils. Si supplementation increased plant mass and root nodulation of M. sativa by 61% and 227%, respectively, and reduced relative consumption (RC) and frass production by S. discoideus by 38% and 30% respectively. Si supplementation had no effect on foliar nitrogen concentrations, most likely due to the dilution effects of increased plant growth and foliar carbon. Phenolic concentrations were negatively correlated with leaf RC; RC also decreased by 34% when JA was applied to plants. When Si was combined with JA application, phenolics were significantly enhanced, demonstrating the potential to stimulate multiple anti‐herbivore properties in M. sativa. Overall, the Si‐ and JA‐induced phytochemical and herbivore feeding responses were consistent between the four lucerne genotypes tested. Synthesis. The novel findings suggest that Si accumulation may play a more important role in legume resistance to herbivorous animals than previously thought. The ubiquity of soil Si and its emerging functional role in plant biology, including plant–animal interactions, suggest that these patterns could be common among legumes.

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Root responses to domestication, precipitation and silicification: weeping meadow grass simplifies and alters toughness

Cited by 8 publications

References 61 publications

Drought Eliminates the Difference in Root Trait Plasticity and Mycorrhizal Responsiveness of Two Semiarid Grassland Species with Contrasting Root System

Drought Eliminates the Difference in Root Trait Plasticity and Mycorrhizal Responsiveness of Two Semiarid Grassland Species with Contrasting Root System

The response of root traits to precipitation change of herbaceous species in temperate steppes

Silicon supplementation and jasmonate activation synergistically increase phenolic defences against a legume herbivore

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