Structure and activity of the bacterial community in the rhizosphere of different plant species and the effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal colonisation

Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi in field crop production: Potential and new direction

“…Arbuscular mycorrhizal hyphae, which may account for 3-20% of root weight (Smith and Read 1997), have a turnover of approximately 6-7 d (Staddon et al 2003b). Thus, considerable amounts of carbon are distributed in the soil via AMF networks, potentially influencing soil microorganisms (Marschner et al 2001;Soderberg et al 2002;Marschner and Baumann 2003) and the accumulation of soil carbon (Rillig et al 2001;Lovelock et al 2004). Our understanding of the soil systems has improved and it has become clear that AMF are multipurpose key components of soil functioning and sustainability (Leake et al 2004).…”

Plant growth and soil microbial community structure of legumes and grasses grown in monoculture or mixture

“…Most studies have focused on how different plant species influence soil microbial community composition. It is shown that different plant species can influence the composition and number of soil microorganisms due to variations in the quantity and quality of root exudates (Curl and Truelove, 1986;Bowen and Rovira, 1991;Söderberg et al, 2002). Bardgett et al (1998) and Wardle et al (1999) have reported that the abundance, activity, and composition of soil decomposer communities may vary markedly with differ-ent plant species, or specific functional plant groups such as legumes.…”

“…Changes in soil moisture can influence soil microbial community structure via its effects on plant biomass and root exudation. To date only a few studies have been conducted to assess the impact of soil moisture content on soil microbial communities, as influenced by plant community composition (Lundquist et al, 1999;Söderberg et al, 2002;Fierer et al, 2003;Griffiths et al, 2003), although plant diversity is the rule in natural ecosystems rather than the exception of cultivated grasslands.…”

Culture-Dependent and Independent Analyses of the Microbial Communities Inhabiting the Giant Duckweed (Spirodela polyrrhiza) Rhizoplane and Isolation of a Variety of Rarely Cultivated Organisms within the Phylum Verrucomicrobia

“…These studies have shown that terrestrial plants harbor unique and diverse microbial communities in their rhizoplane probably due to the specific environments formed by the surface structure and exudates released from the roots. Moreover, it has also been revealed that the microbes might exert a beneficial, neutral, or deleterious influence on plant growth (16,32,43,44,55), and they are sometimes involved in the degradation of environmental pollutants (phytoremediation) (4, 14, 52). By contrast, little is known about rhizosphere and rhizoplane microbial communities of aquatic plants, though it has been reported that the microbes would participate in various activities such as nitrogen metabolism (denitrification and nitrification) and the removal of toxic chemicals (1,35,50,51).…”