Abstract
Purpose
Roots bridge aboveground and belowground systems, and play a pivotal role in structuring root-associated organisms via influencing food resources and habitat conditions. Most studies focused on the relationships between plant identity and root-associated organisms, however, little is known about how root traits affect nematode communities within the rhizosphere.
Methods
We investigated the relationships between root traits of four plant species and nematode abundance, community structure and trophic complexity in an ex-arable field.
Results
While the relative abundance of herbivores was negatively associated with specific root length (SRL), specific root area (SRA), root length density (RLD) and root C: N ratio, free-living nematodes were positively affected by these traits, implying a multifaceted effect of root traits on root-associated organisms. Importantly, we found that finer root systems promoted the complexity of rhizosphere nematode community, by increasing the relative abundance of high trophic-level nematodes (i.e., omnivores and predators) and enhancing nematode diversity.
Conclusions
Our findings suggest that root traits could comprehensively shape soil community structure and interactions, and provide new insights into soil biodiversity conservation and functional maintenance.
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Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the National Foundation of Sciences in China (42077047), National Key R&D program (2021YFD1700202), and China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA (Green manure, CARS-22). We thank Wenqing Fan, Shanyi Tian, Yanhong Cheng and Qianru Huang for providing support in field and sampling.
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All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Research design was performed by Xiaoyun Chen and Manqiang Liu. Experiment and data collection were performed by Jingru Zhang and Chongzhe Zhang. Data analysis was performed by Jingru Zhang and Yiheng Tao. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Jingru Zhang, Zhengkun Hu, Chongzhe Zhang, Xiaoyun Chen and Manqiang Liu, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.
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Zhang, J., Hu, Z., Zhang, C. et al. Roots with larger specific root length and C: N ratio sustain more complex rhizosphere nematode community. Plant Soil 477, 693–706 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05465-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05465-7