Abstract Background and aims Nutrient availability is a key regulator of soil respiration. Anthropogenic activities have dramatically accelerated the inputs of reactive nitrogen (N) and phosphorous (P) and increased the availability of N and P in soils. However, many previous studies of soil respiration have focused more on the effects of N, and less on the effects of P and its interaction with N.

Abstract Background and aims Avicennia marina is a pioneer mangrove species widely distributed along the southeast coast of China. It suffers, especially in the seedling stage, from the tidal flooding and anaerobic surroundings as it closes to the seaward side. The aim of this study is to assess the ability of A. marina seedlings to withstand different tidal inundations by physiological and proteomic

Abstract Aims Predictions of medium to long-term changes in soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks involve simulation models with plant carbon (C) inputs estimated from crop yields using crop harvest indices and allometric scaling involving fixed root-to-shoot ratios. The choice of allometric approach and initial distribution of SOC among model pools is crucial for model estimates. Methods We evaluated the

Abstract Aims Heterogeneous canopies in temperate montane forests affect microclimate and soil characteristics, with important effects on soil microbial communities and related processes. Here, we studied the interactions between plant root traits and soil bacterial and fungal communities in closed forest and open gaps in a mixed forest along an elevational gradient in the French Alps (1400, 1700 and

Abstract Background and aims As potent allelochemicals, flavonoids are believed to be associated with the development of soil-borne diseases. Fusarium species infection is responsible for soybean [Glycine max(L.) Merr.] root rot. However, it is uncertain if and how flavonoids influence rhizosphere Fusarium communities under consecutive soybean monoculture. Methods Quantitative real-time PCR and pyrosequencing

Abstract Background and aims Exotic invasive plants may have adverse effects on native plant communities and ecosystem functions by altering communities of belowground mutualistic mycorrhizal fungi. However, little is known about how such alterations change over time. The aim of this work was to determine the arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) communities colonizing the roots of Nicotiana glauca populations

Abstract Background and aims In this study, the potential of non-intrusive root electrical capacitance (CR) measurements for monitoring the seasonal changes and drought response of root activity was tested on two grassland species in a climate change experiment. Methods CR was detected between a ground electrode inserted into the soil and a plant electrode attached to the stem of the perennial grass

Abstract Aim The functioning of soil microbial communities is co-determined by plant community composition and environmental factors. Decreased precipitation predicted in the Mediterranean area will affect both determinants, yet their interplay on soil microbial functioning is poorly understood. Here we assessed the interaction of plant community diversity and reduced precipitation on microbial metabolic

Abstract Aims Root functions are multiple and essential for the growth and survival of terrestrial plants. The aim of this work was to analyse the main trends in the variation of root traits, their coordination with leaf traits and their relationships with soil conditions. Methods We measured the variation of 27 fine root traits (five morphological, 20 chemical and two isotopic signatures) in trees

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Abstract Aim Ambrosia trifida L. is designated as an invasive exotic plants in South Korea. Despite its widespread distribution in South Korea, research on A. trifida is limited. Organic matter input by A. trifida litter decomposition is predicted to change the soil environment. In this study, we investigated the effects of A. trifida litter decomposition on soil nutrient status. Methods We used the

Abstract Aims Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi play important roles in plant phosphorus (P) accumulation. The aim of this study was to uncover how and to what extent soil plant-available P levels and maize genotypes influence the contribution of mycorrhizal P uptake pathway to plant P nutrition. Methods We selected an old genotype HMY and a modern genotype XY335, combined with 32P labeling and qPCR to

Abstract Background Phytoextraction is an in situ technique that can be applied to minerals and mining wastes using hyperaccumulator plants to purposely bio-concentrate high levels of metals or metalloids into their shoots in order to remove them from the substrate, while achieving monetary gain. Phytoextraction can be applied to a limited number of elements depending on the existence of hyperaccumulator

Abstract Aims Belowground carbon transfer from plant to plant has been extensively described, but such transfer for nitrogen has been less thoroughly investigated when the donor is a non-N2-fixing species. This study, applied to forest regeneration, aimed to determine whether tree seedlings facilitated neighbouring grass growth through nitrogen transfer at an early stage of development, thus facilitating

Abstract Background and aims Calcium uptake by plants and the ratio of calcium to phosphorus (Ca/P) in the uptake have been recently identified as important drivers of P acquisition in neutral to alkaline soils. However, this has rarely been studied under field conditions and no data are available for the effects of intercropping. Methods Durum wheat and faba beans were cultivated, both as sole crops

Abstract Aims Alfalfa is the most important forage legume but sensitive to aluminum (Al), which largely limits its growth in acid soils. To improve Al resistance in alfalfa, responses to Al toxicity were investigated for understanding of the mechanisms of Al resistance in alfalfa. Methods Growth performance and Al resistance in forty-two cultivars was evaluated. Organic acids synthesis and exudation

Abstract Background and aims While large differences in microbial biomass and extracellular enzyme activities (EEAs) between rhizosphere and bulk soils have been demonstrated, the potentially different response of microbes and their EEAs in rhizosphere and bulk soils to nitrogen (N) deposition is still not elucidated. Methods We analyzed the microbial biomass and EEAs in the rhizosphere and bulk soils

Abstract Aims This study aimed to examine the effects of NaCl on Cd tolerance of two halophytes with contrasting salt-tolerance ability: the euhalophyte Suaeda glauca and the recretohalophyte Limonium aureum. Methods Plant growth, photosynthesis and physiological responses of two halophytes were measured in a pot experiment treated with 0, 3 and 6 mg kg−1 Cd in combination with 0 and 0.3% NaCl. Results

Abstract Aim The World Health Organisation (WHO) magnesium (Mg) estimated average requirement (EAR) is not adjusted for rise in human body weight (BW) and neglects body Mg stores depletion. Cereal grain food processing results in Mg loss and reduces dietary Mg intake which mainly originates from cereals. Here we reassess human dietary Mg deficiency risk considering actual human BWs and modern levels

Abstract Aims Carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling are key ecosystem functions potentially altered by heavy metal pollution. We used an ecosystem approach to study the long-term effect of lead (Pb) on C and N cycles in a natural grassland in a former shooting range. Methods Microbial activity was evaluated by substrate-induced respiration (SIR) in situ, adding isotopically labelled C4-sugar to the soil

Abstract Background and aims Morphological and biochemical traits of four halophytes of the genus Limonium were analysed in plants sampled from salt marshes in SE Spain. This work aimed to explore the mechanism(s) behind the adaptation of these species to stressful habitats, with particular emphasis on responses to drought. Methods Plants of each species together with soil samples were collected in

Abstract Aims Intercropping in plantations can improve ecosystem services, but its potential effects on trees’ water use and production are concerns due to increases in water scarcity related to climate change. The aim of this study was to address these concerns by exploring water uptake responses of jujube (Ziziphus jujuba Mill.) trees to intercropping and extremely dry periods on the semi-arid Loess

Abstract Aims Deep root traits are important in rice (Oryza sativa L.) because of their implications for better ability to reach water and nutrients from deep soil. Analysis of gene expression and alternative splicing (AS) will help speed gene identification and understand the role of AS in deep rooting. Methods Rice varieties displaying extreme ratio of deep rooting (RDR) were grown in nutrient solutions

Abstract Aims The extent and persistence of pre-Columbian human legacies in old-growth Amazonian forests are still controversial, partly because modern societies re-occupied old settlements, challenging the distinction between pre- and post-Columbian legacies. Here, we compared the effects of pre-Columbian vs. recent landscape domestication processes on soils and vegetation in two Amazonian regions

Abstract Aim H2S is emerging as a signaling molecule involved in the regulation of many physiological processes in plants. Here, we investigated the potential antioxidant role of H2S in soybean (Glycine max)-rhizobia (Sinorhizobium fredii) symbiotic root nodules. Method An endogenous H2S production deficit rhizobia mutant ∆CSE was constructed to study the effect of decreased content of H2S in soybean

Abstract Aims Phosphorus (P) export with harvested grains is a key step of the P cycle in agroecosystems. In wheat, the accumulation of P in grains originates from both exogenous and endogenous P sources. We investigated the effects of different post-anthesis P supply on P partitioning and P remobilization in two durum wheat cultivars with contrasting biomass allocation. Methods Wheat plants were grown

Abstract Aims Although the linkages between aboveground photosynthates production and belowground respiration processes have been well studied, doubts remain as to the extent that photosynthate regulates soil respiration (Rsoil) and its generality throughout the growing season in a given ecosystem. This study aimed to test whether photosynthesis affected Rsoil at the diurnal scale and assess how the

Abstract Aims Plant growth is often limited by low soil phosphorus (P) availability, soil nitrogen (N) availability may affect plants’ responses to P supply. We studied the growth and physiological responses of alfalfa to soil P supply at different N levels. Methods Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) plants were grown in an alkaline soil supplied with different levels of P (0, 5, and 20 mg kg−1) as monopotassium

Abstract Aim Trichoderma guizhouense NJAU 4742 (Tgui) can serve as a promising strain for the development of novel biofertilizers and biofungicides. Plants primed with Tgui via inoculation were investigated to clarify the underlying mechanisms that promote root growth and development and activate the plant innate immune response. Methods The relative expression of defence-related genes and of genes

Abstract Aims Nitrogen (N) enrichment is well-known to cause declines in plant diversity, yet it remains a challenge to predict which species would be winners or losers. Here, we examined whether traits and their plasticity could predict plant performance under N enrichment, and how changes in plant performance and trait expression could affect community functional property. Methods Relative cover

Abstract Aims Many soil scientists think that soil phosphate exists as discrete compounds of iron, aluminium and calcium and, accordingly, use chemical fractionation schemes to identify these compounds. Methods We reacted a sample of goethite and a sample of aluminium oxide with a phosphate solution under conditions chosen to facilitate penetration of phosphate. Thus the sample of goethite had neither

Abstract Background Under saline conditions, Suaeda salsa, as a typical halophyte, accumulates large amounts of Na+ in its leaves during optimal growth. Key transporters involved in Na+ accumulation in plants are HKT-type protein, the plasma membrane Na+/H+ transporter SOS1, and the tonoplast Na+/H+ antiporter NHX1. In this study, the function of SsHKT1;1 and its coordinate expression with SsSOS1 and

Abstract Aims The effects of invasive plants on soil carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycling are widely documented, while the mechanisms of their influences on the microbial ecology of soil remain unknown. Therefore, the objective of this study was to explore variations in soil bacterial communities following plant invasion, and the mechanisms that drive these changes. Methods An invasive perennial herb

Abstract Background With continuing industrial pollution and other human activities, the problem of heavy metal pollution in the environment is becoming more and more serious. Because heavy metal toxicity does not only inhibit plant growth but also causes many adverse health conditions in humans, heavy metal pollution poses a great challenge across the global. As a food security issue, how to minimize

Abstract Aims Species within the Caulobacter genus have been termed ‘hub species’ in the plant microbiome. To understand these interactions, we assessed the interactions between several Caulobacter strains and a common host plant. Methods We identified a set of 11 Caulobacter strains that range in genetic diversity and tested them for their ability to increase the growth of Arabidopsis thaliana. In

Abstract Aims Endophytes are significant for their ecological role in plants and potential applications in phytoremediation. Endophytic bacteria with plant-growth-promoting (PGP) characteristics are isolated as inoculants to enhance phytoremediation efficiency; however, few attempts have been made to isolate bacteria from phosphorus (P)-accumulating plants and study their roles in P-phytoextraction

Abstract Aims Alternate wetting and drying irrigation (AWD) benefits root iron plaque (IP) formation and nutrient uptake, but the underlying mechanism is unclear. Methods RNA-sequencing, histochemical staining, confocal laser microscopy, and transgenic techniques were used to evaluate the contributions of ionic-bonded cell-wall-located class III peroxidases (iPrxs) and hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) to IP

Abstract Aims The ecological roles of dinitrogen-fixing plants (N2-fixers) in the early stage of primary succession remain unclear. We aimed to examine the effects of pioneer N2-fixers on the resource status and establishment of neighboring non-N2-fixing plants (non-fixers) in a newly formed glacier floodplain, eastern Tibetan Plateau. Methods We set up three plots in the floodplain and assessed the

Abstract Background and aims Uncontrolled uptake of Na+ is the reason that many species are sensitive to salinity. Suberin is a protective barrier found in the walls of root endodermal cells that appears to be important for salt tolerance, yet its specific protective mechanism has not been fully elucidated. Methods Here we investigated the role of aliphatic suberin in protecting plants against salt

Abstract Background and aims Vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and tantalum (Ta), recognized as Technology-Critical Element (TCE), are highly growing in demand for industrial development. Despite their economic relevance, little is known about their environmental concentrations, especially in marine ecosystems like mangroves. This paper describes concentrations and distribution patterns of Group Va elements

Abstract Aims This study aimed to investigate the effects of coexistence with faba bean, a phosphorus (P)-efficient crop, on soil-accumulated P use by a maize/faba bean intercropping system on dynamic changes in soil P pool. Methods Maize and faba bean were grown in P-accumulated soil as either sole cropping or intercropping. After one year (Stage I) or four years (Stage II) of no P application, soil

Abstract Aims Numerous invasive plant species can increase soil nitrate (NO3−) by altering the nitrification process through plant-soil microbe interactions with ammonia-oxidizing archaea (AOA) and ammonia-oxidizing bacteria (AOB). We evaluated how the invasive species Microstegium vimineum influenced physico-chemical soil properties, inorganic nitrogen (N) cycling, and AOA and AOB abundances under

Abstract Aims Populus can tolerant high concentration Al stress. However, the mechanisms of Mg alleviation to Al toxicity in populus remain unknown. Methods In the present study, adequate Mg was supplied to poplar under high concentration Al toxicity stress, and the pH gradients of root surface, Mg and Al uptake from root apex were detected using electrophysiological analysis, fluorescence staining

Abstract Aims Drought stress is an important limiting factor of plant performance, and how it interacts with increasing nitrogen (N) deposition to affect seedling development requires further investigation. This study addresses the combined effects of N deposition and drought on growth and physiological attributes of Phyllostachys edulis (Carr.) seedlings. Methods Seedling growth attributes and nitrogen

Abstract Aims Popular African upland rice variety Nerica4 performs poorly under phosphorus (P) deficiency; the objective was to identify plant and soil traits likely to improve its P efficiency. Methods Field and glasshouse experiments compared P uptake and root parameters between the popular rice genotype Nerica4, and a known P-efficient genotype, DJ123. Glasshouse experiments used fresh field soil

Abstract Aims Saprophytic fungi are important agents of soil mineralization and carbon cycling. Their community structure is known to be affected by soil conditions such as organic matter and pH. However, the effect of plant species, whose roots provide the litter input into the soil, on the saprophytic fungal community is largely unknown. Methods We examined the saprophytic fungi in a grassland biodiversity

Abstract Background and aims Plants can directly affect nitrogen (N) transformation processes at the micro-ecological scale when soil comes into contact with roots. Due to the methodological limitations in measuring direct N2 losses in plant-soil systems, however, the effect of rhizosphere processes on N2O production and reduction to N2 has rarely been quantified. Methods For the first time, we developed

Abstract Aims While the effects of destocking on soil nutrient and plant productivity are known, the effect on functional groups of fungi has received less attention. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of long-term destocking on fungal functional guilds and their association with plants and soil. Methods We characterized the changes in five fungal functional guilds, including plant

Abstract Aims Metacaspases are cysteine-dependent proteases, which play essential roles in programmed cell death (PCD), and caspase-3-like protease is the crucial executioner. However, its response mechanism to aluminum (Al)-induced PCD is still elusive. Methods Here, the type I metacaspase gene in peanut (Arachis hypoganea L.), AhMC1, was cloned from the Al-sensitive cultivar ZH2. Physiological and

Abstract Aims Cabbage Fusarium wilt (CFW) disease, caused by the soil-borne fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. conglutinans (Foc), threatens cabbage production worldwide. We aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of CFW resistance and the avirulence/virulence factors of Foc. Methods The resistant ‘96–100’ and susceptible ‘01–20’ cabbage lines were examined histologically and in RNA-seq analyses. The

Abstract Aims Polygonum hydropiper L. and Polygonum lapathifolium L. are two of the well-known indigenous Mn-hyperaccumulators. Enterobacter sp. FM-1 is a plant growth-promoting bacterium (PGPB) that we found in our previous study. We intended to develop a novel strategy to improve Mn and Cd co-contaminated soil phytoremediation by using a Mn and Cd-resistant bacterium for soil bioaugmentation. Methods

Abstract Background and aims Soils are composed of both fine and coarse materials. Coarse material (> 2 mm) is considered to be inert and is usually discarded in models of plant water balance, even though it affects soil properties. No studies have yet attempted to assess whether rock fragments may act as a water reservoir for plants. Methods Cuttings of Populus euramericana were planted in 5-L pots

Abstract Background It is well established that the functioning of terrestrial ecosystems depends on biophysical and biogeochemical feedbacks occurring at the soil-plant-atmosphere (SPA) interface. However, dynamic biophysical and biogeochemical processes that operate at local scales are seldom studied in conjunction with structural ecosystem properties that arise from broad environmental constraints

Abstract Aims Mycorrhizal type has been proposed as an effective trait integrator capturing varying biogeochemical syndromes in terrestrial ecosystems. However, for boreal peatlands, it is still unclear whether mycorrhizal associations of vascular plants can indicate leaf nutrient resorption patterns and litter decomposition rates. Methods We determined leaf nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) resorption

Abstract Aims Soil phosphorus is a key driver of plant biodiversity and aboveground biomass (AGB) in tropical forests. A plant community’s ability to exploit such limiting resources may be better represented by functional diversity than species or phylogenetic diversity, and may therefore have the higher predictive power regarding how soil phosphorus influences AGB in tropical forests. However, nearly

Abstract Aims Plant-microbial-soil interactions are key to understanding plant community succession, invasion success, patterns of biodiversity and aspects of ecosystem function. Yet root and rhizosphere chemistry is highly complex, and little is known about natural variation across environmental gradients. Variation in tree species root chemical phenotypes should alter how rhizosphere microbes respond

The authors wish to report an error in the original version of the paper. In figure 4, panels a) and b) are incorrectly titled respectively "Crop shoots" and "Crop roots".

Abstract Aims Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars vary in their resistance to Fusarium head blight (FHB), while it is poorly understood how different cultivars influence FHB-causing Fusarium graminearum abundance in rhizosphere soil. Methods A field experiment was conducted to investigate the influence of three wheat cultivars on FHB index, rhizosphere soil F. graminearum abundance, chemical properties

Abstract Aims The incidence of herbicide-resistant blackgrass is escalating in wheat fields; the development of alternatives to traditional herbicides is crucial. Allelopathic wheat can suppress blackgrass. Herein, we investigated the influence of allelopathic wheat on herbicide-resistant blackgrass. Methods Mesosulfuron-methyl-resistant and -susceptible blackgrass were used. We examined i) root interactions

Abstract Background and aims Soil respiration (Rs) is expected to positively feedback to climate warming. The strength of this feedback is uncertain as numerous environmental factors, such as precipitation and soil moisture, can moderate the warming response of Rs. Methods We combined seven-year Rs measurements in a warming experiment in the Tibetan alpine grassland with a meta-analysis on grassland