Evidence map›Paper›PMID 32686833›Full record

ArticleAnnals of botany2020

Soil microbes alter seedling performance and biotic interactions under plant competition and contrasting light conditions.

Nianxun Xi, Juliette M G Bloor, Chengjin Chu

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Article in Annals of botany, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

3 authors.

Nianxun XiDepartment of Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.
Juliette M G BloorINRAE, VetAgro-Sup, UREP, 5 Chemin de Beaulieu, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
Chengjin ChuDepartment of Ecology, State Key Laboratory of Biocontrol and School of Life Sciences, Sun Yat-sen University, Guangzhou, China.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND

aimsGrowing evidence suggests that the net effect of soil microbes on plants depends on both abiotic and biotic conditions, but the context-dependency of soil feedback effects remains poorly understood. Here we test for interactions between the presence of conspecific soil microbes, plant competition and light availability on tree seedling performance.

methodsSeedlings of two congeneric tropical tree species, Bauhinia brachycarpa and Bauhinia variegata, were grown in either sterilized soil or soil conditioned by conspecific soil microorganisms in a two-phase greenhouse feedback experiment. We examined the interactive effects of soil treatment (live, sterilized), light availability (low, high) and plant competition (no competition, intraspecific and interspecific competition) on tree seedling biomass. We also investigated the linkages between the outcomes of soil feedback effects and soil microbial community structure. KEY

resultsThe outcomes of soil feedback effects on seedling biomass varied depending on both competition treatment and light availability. Under low light conditions, soil feedback effects were neutral irrespective of competition treatment and plant species. Soil feedback effects were negative in high light for seedlings with interspecific competition, but positive for seedlings growing alone or with intraspecific competition. Soil feedback effects for seedlings were driven by variation in the Gram-positive:Gram-negative bacteria ratio. Light and conspecific soil microbes had interactive effects on the competitive environment experienced by tree species; in low light the presence of conspecific soil microbes decreased plant competition intensity, whereas in high light both the intensity and the importance of competition increased for seedlings in the presence of soil microbes, irrespective of plant species.

conclusionsOur findings underline the importance of light and plant competition for the outcomes of soil feedback effects on young tree seedlings, and suggest that reduced light availability may reduce the influence of conspecific soil microbes on plant-plant interactions.

Indexed as

SeedlingsSoilPlantsSoil MicrobiologyTreesSoilconspecific soil microbesLight intensityplant competitionplant–soil feedbacksseedling biomass

Identifiers

PMID32686833
PMCPMC7596364

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.