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Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change

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A special issue of Plants (ISSN 2223-7747). This special issue belongs to the section "Plant Response to Abiotic Stress and Climate Change".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 July 2024 | Viewed by 14639

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Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Chunwang Xiao

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Guest Editor

College of Life and Environmental Sciences, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: root turnover; root exudate; soil microbiology; priming effect; global change

Dr. Congcong Liu

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Guest Editor

Institute of Geographical Sciences and Natural Resources Research Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
Interests: stomatal morphology; plant functional traits; functional diversity; community assembly
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Wenchen Song

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Guest Editor

College of Life and Environment Science, Minzu University of China, Beijing 100081, China
Interests: root-microbial interaction; soil ecology; forest ecology; stable isotope; fungal ecology

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Plant roots control nearly half of the carbon cycle of global terrestrial ecosystems. In recent decades, more and more attention has been paid to global change, but research on plant root systems lags behind research on the aboveground part of plants. At present, the study of plant–soil interactions is of interest in terms of various aspects of global change, ranging from plant physiology to global ecology and evolution. Soil organisms can influence the quality and availability of soil nutrients, which, in turn, affects plant performance and how plants respond to global change. On the other hand, plants can alter the composition of the rhizosphere of soil through the production of litter and the release of root exudates, fueling plant–soil feedback loops, with potential consequences at different ecological levels. Such interactions occur not only in natural environments, but also in artificial environments, significantly affecting human life and driving current and future ecological methods and policies. The present Topic on plant–soil interactions aims to create a representative and updated collection of research articles and reviews regarding the main processes that shape the links between plants and the soil system and their response to environmental changes.

Prof. Dr. Chunwang Xiao
Dr. Congcong Liu
Dr. Wenchen Song
Guest Editors

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Keywords

root
global change
soil ecology
rhizosphere
rhizo-microorganisms
biogeography

Published Papers (8 papers)

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Research

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16 pages, 2391 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Spatial Variation in Responses of Plant Spring Phenology to Climate Warming in Grasslands of Inner Mongolia: Drivers and Application

by Guang Lu, Mengchao Fang and Shuping Zhang

Plants 2024, 13(4), 520; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants13040520 - 14 Feb 2024

Viewed by 520

Abstract

Plant spring phenology in grasslands distributed in the Northern Hemisphere is highly responsive to climate warming. The growth of plants is intricately influenced by not only air temperature but also precipitation and soil factors, both of which exhibit spatial variation. Given the critical impact of the plant growth season on the livelihood of husbandry communities in grasslands, it becomes imperative to comprehend regional-scale spatial variation in the response of plant spring phenology to climate warming and the effects of precipitation and soil factors on such variation. This understanding is beneficial for region-specific phenology predictions in husbandry communities. In this study, we analyzed the spatial pattern of the correlation coefficient between the start date of the plant growth season (SOS) and the average winter–spring air temperature (WST) of Inner Mongolia grassland from 2003 to 2019. Subsequently, we analyzed the importance of 13 precipitation and soil factors for the correlation between SOS and average WST using a random forest model and analyzed the interactive effect of the important factors on the SOS using linear mixing models (LMMs). Based on these, we established SOS models using data from pastoral areas within different types of grassland. The percentage of areas with a negative correlation between SOS and average WST in meadow and typical grasslands was higher than that in desert grasslands. Results from the random forest model highlighted the significance of snow cover days (SCD), soil organic carbon (SOC), and soil nitrogen content (SNC) as influential factors affecting the correlation between SOS and average WST. Meadow grasslands exhibited significantly higher levels of SCD, SOC, and SNC compared to typical and desert grasslands. The LMMs indicated that the interaction of grassland type and the average WST and SCD can effectively explain the variation in SOS. The multiple linear models that incorporated both average WST and SCD proved to be better than models utilizing WST or SCD alone in predicting SOS. These findings indicate that the spatial patterns of precipitation and soil factors are closely associated with the spatial variation in the response of SOS to climate warming in Inner Mongolia grassland. Moreover, the average WST and SCD, when considered jointly, can be used to predict plant spring phenology in husbandry communities. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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20 pages, 9285 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Receptor Plants Alleviated Allelopathic Stress from Invasive Chenopodium ambrosioides L. by Upregulating the Production and Autophagy of Their Root Border Cells

by Qiang Wang, Xijie Zhou, Shengli He, Wenguo Wang, Danwei Ma, Yu Wang and Hong Zhang

Plants 2023, 12(22), 3810; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12223810 - 09 Nov 2023

Viewed by 689

Abstract

Chenopodium ambrosioides L. is an invasive plant native to the Neotropics that has seriously threatened the ecological security of China, and allelopathy is one of the mechanisms underlying its successful invasion. Maize (Zea mays L.) and soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), as the main food crops, are usually affected by C. ambrosioides in their planting areas. The purpose of this study was to investigate the ultrastructure, autophagy, and release-related gene expression of receptor plant root border cells (RBCs) after exposure to volatile oil from C. ambrosioides and its main component α-terpene, which were studied using maize and soybean as receptor plants. The volatiles inhibited root growth and promoted a brief increase in the number of RBCs. As the volatile concentration increased, the organelles in RBCs were gradually destroyed, and intracellular autophagosomes were produced and continuously increased in number. Transcriptomic analysis revealed that genes involved in the synthesis of the plasma membrane and cell wall components in receptor root cells were significantly up-regulated, particularly those related to cell wall polysaccharide synthesis. Meanwhile, polygalacturonase and pectin methylesterases (PME) exhibited up-regulated expression, and PME activity also increased. The contribution of α-terpene to this allelopathic effect of C. ambrosioides volatile oil exceeded 70%. Based on these results, receptor plant root tips may increase the synthesis of cell wall substances while degrading the intercellular layer, accelerating the generation and release of RBCs. Meanwhile, their cells survived through autophagy of RBCs, indicating the key role of RBCs in alleviating allelopathic stress from C. ambrosioides volatiles. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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13 pages, 2414 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Plant and Soil Microbial Diversity Co-Regulate Ecosystem Multifunctionality during Desertification in a Temperate Grassland

by Yeming Zhang, Xiuli Gao, Ye Yuan, Lei Hou, Zhenhua Dang and Linna Ma

Plants 2023, 12(21), 3743; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12213743 - 31 Oct 2023

Viewed by 1008

Abstract

Biodiversity plays a crucial role in driving multiple ecosystem functions in temperate grasslands. However, our understanding of how biodiversity regulates the impacts of desertification processes on ecosystem multifunctionality (EMF) remains limited. In this study, we investigate plant diversity, soil microbial diversity (fungal, bacterial, archaeal, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal (AMF) diversity), soil properties (soil water content, pH, and soil clay content), and multiple ecosystem functions (soil N mineralization, soil phosphatase activity, AMF infection rate, microbial biomass, plant biomass, and soil C and nutrients (N, P, K, Ca, Fe, Na, Cu, Mg, and Mn)) at six different grassland desertification intensities. The random forest model was conducted to assess the importance of soil properties, plant diversity, and soil microbial diversity in driving EMF. Furthermore, a structural equation model (SEM) was employed to analyze the indirect and direct impacts of these predictors on EMF. Our study showed that plant, soil bacterial, fungal, and archaeal diversity gradually decreased with increasing desertification intensity. However, only AMF diversity was found to be less sensitive to desertification. Similarly, EMF also showed a significant decline with increasing desertification. Importantly, both plant and soil microbial diversity were positively associated with EMF during desertification processes. The random forest model and SEM revealed that both plant and soil microbial diversity were identified as important and direct predictors of EMF during desertification processes. This highlights the primary influence of above- and below-ground biodiversity in co-regulating the response of EMF to grassland desertification. These findings have important implications for planned ecosystem restoration and sustainable grassland management. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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15 pages, 2368 KiB

Open AccessArticle

An Assessment of Relations between Vegetation Green FPAR and Vegetation Indices through a Radiative Transfer Model

by Shouzhen Liang, Wandong Ma, Xueyan Sui, Meng Wang and Hongzhong Li

Plants 2023, 12(10), 1927; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12101927 - 09 May 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1527

Abstract

The fraction of absorbed photosynthetically active radiation (FPAR) is widely used in remote sensing-based production models to estimate gross or net primary production. The forest canopy is composed primarily of photosynthetically active vegetation (PAV, green leaves) and non-photosynthetic vegetation (NPV e.g., branches), which absorb PAR but only the PAR absorbed by PAV is used for photosynthesis. Green FPAR (the fraction of PAR absorbed by PAV) is essential for the accurate estimation of GPP. In this study, the scattering by arbitrary inclined leaves (SAIL) model was reconfigured to partition the PAR absorbed by forest canopies. The characteristics of green FPAR and its relationships with spectral vegetation indices (NDVI, EVI, EVI2, and SAVI) were analyzed. The results showed that green FPAR varied with the canopy structure. In the forests with high coverage, the green FPAR was close to the total FPAR, while in the open forests, the green FPAR was far smaller than the total FPAR. Plant area index had more important impacts on the green FPAR than the proportion of PAV and optical properties of PAV. The significant relationships were found between spectral vegetation indices and the green FPAR, but EVI was more suitable to describe the variation of canopy green FPAR. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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15 pages, 2992 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Effects of Glomalin-Related Soil Protein Driven by Root on Forest Soil Aggregate Stability and Carbon Sequestration during Urbanization in Nanchang, China

by Changyongming Cai, Fei Huang, Yaying Yang, Suqin Yu, Sujia Wang, Yulu Fan, Qiong Wang and Wei Liu

Plants 2023, 12(9), 1847; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12091847 - 30 Apr 2023

Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1319

Abstract

Glomalin-related soil protein (GRSP) is a hydrophobic protein released by arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi. It is an important component of the soil carbon pool, and it improves the soil aggregate structure; however, it remains unclear whether GRSP can enhance soil carbon sequestration and improve soil quality during rapid urbanization. The built-up area in Nanchang, China was the study area, and the proportion of impervious surface area was the parameter of urbanization intensity. A total of 184 plots (400 m²) were set up to collect soil samples (0–20 cm) for analysis. Aggregates of five particle sizes were sieved, and the percentage amounts of soil organic carbon (SOC) and GRSP for them were determined. The results showed that the easily extractable GRSP (EE-GRSP) and total GRSP (T-GRSP) contents of the four aggregates of <2 mm were 22–46% higher in low urbanization areas than those in high urbanization areas (p < 0.05), indicating that the higher urbanization intensity was associated with the lower GRSP content of different aggregates. The GRSP was significantly positively correlated with SOC (p < 0.05). Moreover, the contribution of GRSP to the SOC pool in the <0.25 mm aggregate was significantly higher than that in other aggregates. In addition, the EE-GRSP content was significantly positively correlated with mean weight diameter (MWD) and geometric mean diameter (GMD) in the four aggregates of <2 mm, whereas it was negatively correlated with fractal dimension (D) in the >2 mm, 1–2 mm and <0.053 mm aggregates. The T-GRSP content showed significant correlations only with MWD, GMD, and D in the 1–2 mm aggregate. This study revealed that increasing urbanization intensity can significantly reduce the GRSP content of different sized aggregates. Moreover, the GRSP content significantly promoted SOC sequestration, and the EE-GRSP content more significantly promoted soil aggregate stability than that of the T-GRSP. These findings provide new ideas for exploring the improvement of soil quality during the process of urbanization. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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13 pages, 1120 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Higher N Addition and Mowing Interactively Improved Net Primary Productivity by Stimulating Gross Nitrification in a Temperate Steppe of Northern China

by Jianqiang Yang, Huajie Diao, Guoliang Li, Rui Wang, Huili Jia and Changhui Wang

Plants 2023, 12(7), 1481; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12071481 - 28 Mar 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1301

Abstract

Anthropogenic disturbance, such as nitrogen (N) fertilization and mowing, is constantly changing the function and structure of grassland ecosystems during past years and will continue to affect the sustainability of arid and semiarid grassland in the future. However, how and whether the different N addition levels and the frequency of N addition, as well as the occurrence of mowing, affect the key processes of N cycling is still unclear. We designed a field experiment with five levels of N addition (0, 2, 10, 20, and 50 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹), two types of N addition frequencies (twice a year added in June/November and monthly addition), and mowing treatment in a typical grassland of northern China. The results showed that higher N addition and mowing interactively improved net primary productivity (NPP), including aboveground and belowground biomass, while different N addition frequency had no significant effects on NPP. Different N addition levels significantly improved gross ammonification (GA) and nitrification (GN) rates, which positively correlated to aboveground net primary productivity (ANPP). However, the effect of N addition frequency was differentiated with N addition levels, the highest N addition level (50 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹) with lower frequency (twice a year) significantly increased GA and GN rates. Mowing significantly increased the GA rate but decreased the GN rate both under the highest N addition level (50 g N m⁻² yr⁻¹) and lower N addition frequency (twice a year), which could improve N turnover by stimulating plant and microbial activity. However, a long-term study of the effects of N enrichment and mowing on N turnover will be needed for understanding the mechanisms by which nutrient cycling occurs in typical grassland ecosystems under global change scenarios. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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20 pages, 13676 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Gene Profiling of the Ascorbate Oxidase Family Genes under Osmotic and Cold Stress Reveals the Role of AnAO5 in Cold Adaptation in Ammopiptanthus nanus

by Ming Zhu, Qi Liu, Fuyu Liu, Lamei Zheng, Jie Bing, Yijun Zhou and Fei Gao

Plants 2023, 12(3), 677; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030677 - 03 Feb 2023

Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1495

Abstract

The uplift of the Qinghai Tibet Plateau has led to a drastic change in the climate in Central Asia, from warm and rainy, to dry and less rainfall. Ammopiptanthus nanus, a rare evergreen broad-leaved shrub distributed in the temperate desert region of Central Asia, has survived the drastic climate change in Central Asia caused by the uplift of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau. Ascorbate oxidase (AO) regulates the redox status of the apoplast by catalyzing the oxidation of ascorbate acid to dehydroascorbic acid, and plays a key role in the adaptation of plants to environmental changes. Analyzing the evolution, environmental response, and biological functions of the AO family of A. nanus is helpful for understanding how plant genome evolution responds to climate change in Central Asia. A total of 16 AOs were identified in A. nanus, all of which contained the ascorbate oxidase domain, most of which contained transmembrane domain, and many were predicted to be localized in the apoplast. Segmental duplication and tandem duplication are the main factors driving the gene amplification of the AO gene family in A. nanus. Gene expression analysis based on transcriptome data and fluorescence quantitative PCR, as well as enzyme activity measurements, showed that the expression levels of AO genes and total enzyme activity decreased under short-term osmotic stress and low-temperature stress, but the expression of some AO genes (AnAO5, AnAO13, and AnAO16) and total enzyme activity increased under 7 days of cold stress. AnAO5 and AnAO11 are targeted by miR4415. Further functional studies on AnAO5 showed that AnAO5 protein was localized in the apoplast. The expression of AnAO5 in yeast cells and the transient expression in tobacco enhanced the tolerance of yeast and tobacco to low-temperature stress, and the overexpression of AnAO5 enhanced the tolerance of Arabidopsis seedlings to cold stress. Our research provides important data for understanding the role of AOs in plant adaptation to environmental change. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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Review

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12 pages, 508 KiB

Open AccessReview

Root Exudates Mediate the Processes of Soil Organic Carbon Input and Efflux

by Xue Lei, Yuting Shen, Jianing Zhao, Jiajia Huang, Hui Wang, Yang Yu and Chunwang Xiao

Plants 2023, 12(3), 630; https://doi.org/10.3390/plants12030630 - 31 Jan 2023

Cited by 15 | Viewed by 4304

Abstract

Root exudates, as an important form of material input from plants to the soil, regulate the carbon input and efflux of plant rhizosphere soil and play an important role in maintaining the carbon and nutrient balance of the whole ecosystem. Root exudates are notoriously difficult to collect due to their underlying characteristics (e.g., low concentration and fast turnover rate) and the associated methodological challenges of accurately measuring root exudates in native soils. As a result, up until now, it has been difficult to accurately quantify the soil organic carbon input from root exudates to the soil in most studies. In recent years, the contribution and ecological effects of root exudates to soil organic carbon input and efflux have been paid more and more attention. However, the ecological mechanism of soil organic carbon input and efflux mediated by root exudates are rarely analyzed comprehensively. In this review, the main processes and influencing factors of soil organic carbon input and efflux mediated by root exudates are demonstrated. Soil minerals and soil microbes play key roles in the processes. The carbon allocation from plants to soil is influenced by the relationship between root exudates and root functional traits. Compared with the quantity of root exudates, the response of root exudate quality to environmental changes affects soil carbon function more. In the future, the contribution of root exudates in different plants to soil carbon turnover and their relationship with soil nutrient availability will be accurately quantified, which will be helpful to understand the mechanism of soil organic carbon sequestration. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Plant-Soil Interaction Response to Global Change)

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