Review
Plant Sciences
Abdul Wahab, Murad Muhammad, Asma Munir, Gholamreza Abdi, Wajid Zaman, Asma Ayaz, Chandni Khizar, Sneha Priya Pappula Reddy
Summary: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) form symbiotic relationships with land-dwelling plants, improving growth and productivity, especially during abiotic stress. AMF enhances nutrient acquisition and plant tolerance to abiotic stress through nutrient exchange at the arbuscular mycorrhizal interface. AMF also affects plants' antioxidant defense systems, osmotic adjustment, and hormone regulation, promoting plant performance in abiotic stress conditions. More research is needed to understand the molecular mechanisms and responses of AMF-plant interactions to abiotic stresses.
Article
Soil Science
Jianni Sun, Jiao Zhao, Jusong Huo, Shuai Wang, Li Xu, Xiaoyun Chen, Yunpeng Qiu, Manqiang Liu
Summary: Excessive nitrogen inputs have negative effects on ecological problems and soil biodiversity. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play an important role in nutrient acquisition by plants, but the relationship between AMF diversity and crop performance under different N inputs is still unclear.
APPLIED SOIL ECOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Plant Sciences
Mohanned Abdalla, Michael Bitterlich, Jan Jansa, David Pueschel, Mutez A. Ahmed
Summary: This article reviews the role of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) in improving crop drought tolerance, highlighting their effects on water supply and the biophysical mechanisms involved. Using a soil-plant hydraulic model, the authors demonstrate how AMF can enhance water transport in the soil and extend root length to mitigate the impact of soil drying on plant water potential. The synthesis of evidence and simulations suggest that AMF symbiosis postpones the onset of stress by regulating transpiration rates and leaf water potentials during drought, thus promoting crop survival under limited water availability. The article also calls for future research to integrate soil and root hydraulic dynamics in order to better understand the role of AMF in plant-water relations under changing climate conditions.
JOURNAL OF EXPERIMENTAL BOTANY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Stephanie J. Watts-Williams, Stefanie Wege, Sunita A. Ramesh, Oliver Berkowitz, Bo Xu, Matthew Gilliham, James Whelan, Stephen D. Tyerman
Summary: Soil micronutrient availability, particularly zinc (Zn), is a limiting factor in crop yield. Arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi facilitate nutrient uptake in host plants through the mycorrhizal pathway. In this study, RNA-seq analysis revealed that the putative Zn transporter gene, MtZIP14, was up-regulated in Medicago truncatula roots during colonization by Rhizophagus irregularis. Loss-of-function mutant plants lacking MtZIP14 showed reduced shoot biomass when grown under low Zn concentration and colonized by AM fungi, implicating a role for MtZIP14 in plant Zn nutrition and AM colonization.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Elisabeth B. Ward, Alexander Polussa, Mark A. Bradford
Summary: Plant mycorrhizal associations impact the accumulation and persistence of soil organic matter, which can affect how ecosystems respond to global changes. The co-occurrence of trees and shrubs with different mycorrhizal associations can influence soil organic matter pools, but more research is needed to understand these effects.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
Johan De Gruyter, James T. Weedon, Evelyne M. Elst, Stefan Geisen, Marcel G. A. Van der Heijden, Erik Verbruggen
Summary: The interaction between AM fungi and plants shapes the surrounding soil microbial communities, possibly due to enhanced growth of host plants changing the amount, timing, and form of carbon inputs into soil. This study found changes in the community composition of soil microbial groups in mesocosms inoculated with AM fungi on grass and clover plants, leading to increased plant productivity and other performance measures.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2022)
Review
Agronomy
Ismail Cakmak, Hans Lambers, Cynthia A. Grant, Fang-Jie Zhao
Summary: Cadmium (Cd) levels in food crops can be increased through management activities and geogenic factors. Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play a significant role in reducing Cd accumulation in plants. AMF have various mechanisms to reduce shoot Cd accumulation, including immobilizing Cd in fungal structures and increasing root Zn uptake.
Article
Microbiology
Sulaimon Basiru, Hopkins Pachalo Mwanza, Mohamed Hijri
Summary: Efficient management of root-associated microbiomes is crucial for improving crop yield and reducing environmental footprint. Various plant symbionts, such as arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, have entered large-scale applications in agriculture. Research on the combination of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi with other beneficial microbes should be further conducted to maximize their potential in crop production.
Article
Soil Science
Junsheng Huang, Weixing Liu, Sen Yang, Lu Yang, Ziyang Peng, Meifeng Deng, Shan Xu, Beibei Zhang, Jitendra Ahirwal, Lingli Liu
Summary: This study demonstrates that plant carbon inputs through shoot, root, and mycorrhizal pathways have differential impacts on soil organic carbon turnover. In soils with higher fertility, more carbon derived from shoot, root, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can be sequestered, primarily driven by greater soil microbial biomass. Roots contribute the most to new soil organic carbon formation, regardless of soil fertility, while shoot and AMF exert similar but lower contributions.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2021)
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ruwanthika Kalamulla, Samantha C. Karunarathna, Saowaluck Tibpromma, Mahesh C. A. Galappaththi, Nakarin Suwannarach, Steven L. Stephenson, Suhail Asad, Ziad Salman Salem, Neelamanie Yapa
Summary: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) play important roles in soil and plant productivity through their nutritional and non-nutritional functionalities. They maintain soil structure, change nutrient acquisition, alleviate stress, and interact with other microorganisms and plants, all of which contribute to plant growth and productivity.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Nihal Gujre, Ankit Soni, Latha Rangan, Daniel C. W. Tsang, Sudip Mitra
Summary: This review focuses on the use of biochar and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) to improve soil health and crop productivity, emphasizing their indispensable roles in maintaining the plant-soil continuum. The study highlights the significant progress made in understanding the physical and chemical properties of biochar, as well as the functions and roles of AMF in the soil ecosystem. The potential benefits, challenges, and future opportunities of combined biochar and AMF applications are critically examined.
ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
(2021)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Christopher J. Sweeney, Melanie Bottoms, Sian Ellis, Gregor Ernst, Stefan Kimmel, Stefania Loutseti, Agnes Schimera, Leticia Scopel Camargo Carniel, Amanda Sharples, Frank Staab, Michael T. Marx
Summary: This study critically reviews the methodologies available to integrate AMF into the PPP risk assessment and provides perspective and commentary on their agronomic and ecological relevance. The research concludes that further research is needed to address the challenges of including an obligate symbiont within the PPP risk assessment and highlights the importance of developing relevant, reliable, and robust scientific tests and guidance.
ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY
(2022)
Article
Soil Science
Neji Mahmoudi, Maria F. Caeiro, Mosbah Mahdhi, Rogerio Tenreiro, Florian Ulm, Mohamed Mars, Cristina Cruz, Teresa Dias
Summary: The study found that soil multifunctionality is strongly associated with mycorrhizal traits, with bare soils and low-mycorrhizal plant species leading to lower soil functionality, while Fabaceae species contribute to higher soil functionality.
Article
Plant Sciences
Alessandra Pepe, Daniela Di Baccio, Ermenegildo Magnani, Manuela Giovannetti, Cristiana Sbrana
Summary: This study investigates the potential role of the arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiont Funneliformis mosseae in improving the nutritional value of chicory plants. It shows that the mycorrhizal symbiont enhances the uptake of zinc and iron, leading to higher levels of health-promoting compounds in the host plant. The study suggests that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungal inoculation can be used to enhance the nutritional value of plant-derived food.
JOURNAL OF SOIL SCIENCE AND PLANT NUTRITION
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Reda E. Abdelhameed, Nagwa I. Abu-Elsaad, Arafat Abdel Hamed Abdel Latef, Rabab A. Metwally
Summary: The study finds that ZnFe2O4 nanoparticles have a positive impact on the growth of pea plants, particularly in increasing the weight of roots and shoots.
Review
Environmental Sciences
Jing Ding, Min Lv, Dong Zhu, Eva F. Leifheit, Qing-Lin Chen, Yun-Qing Wang, Ling-Xin Chen, Matthias C. Rillig, Yong-Guan Zhu
Summary: Tire wear particles (TWP) have caused widespread contamination in the environment. This study aims to understand the behavior and potential impacts of TWP in soil ecosystems. By synthesizing existing knowledge and comparing with the effects of microplastics (MP), the study outlines the composition, distribution, and behavior of TWP in soils, and highlights the potential impacts on soil biota and the underlying mechanisms. The study suggests that more research is needed to clarify the behavior and impacts of TWP at different levels, from individual organisms to the Earth system, as TWP may pose as an emerging threat to soil health.
CRITICAL REVIEWS IN ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Hui Wu, Junjie Yang, Wei Fu, Matthias C. Rillig, Zhenjiao Cao, Aihua Zhao, Zhipeng Hao, Xin Zhang, Baodong Chen, Xingguo Han
Summary: Nitrogen enrichment has negative effects on biodiversity and ecosystem stability, while arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi play important roles in ecosystem stability and functioning. This study investigated the ecological impacts of N enrichment on AM fungal communities in a grassland ecosystem. The results showed that AM fungal biomass decreased continuously with increasing N addition levels, while AM fungal diversity remained stable until a threshold of 20 g N m(-2) yr(-1) was reached. Above this threshold, AM fungal diversity dramatically decreased, indicating a potentially unstable state of the AM fungal community.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Bo Tang, Katherine S. Rocci, Anika Lehmann, Matthias C. Rillig
Summary: Nitrogen availability is critical for soil organic carbon (SOC) cycling and storage, but the effects of N enrichment on the SOC pool are highly variable. This study conducted a global meta-analysis to assess the impact of N addition on SOC components and their ratios. The results showed that N addition significantly increased the particulate organic carbon (POC) and mineral-associated organic carbon (MAOC) pools, while decreasing the ratios of MAOC to SOC and MAOC to POC. The study provides insights into the functionality of the SOC pool under N enrichment at a global scale.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Geosciences, Multidisciplinary
Tessa Camenzind, Kyle Mason-Jones, India Mansour, Matthias C. Rillig, Johannes Lehmann
Summary: Microbial death pathways in soil affect the composition and fate of microbial necromass, which is important for soil organic carbon storage. The composition of microbial necromass is different from microbial biomass, as it undergoes distinct chemical transformations. Different environmental conditions and microbial death pathways influence the changes in necromass composition.
Correction
Agronomy
Tancredi Caruso, Matthias C. C. Rillig
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Fan Ding, Shuangyi Li, Jie Lu, Chad J. Penn, Qing-Wei Wang, Guigang Lin, Jordi Sardans, Josep Penuelas, Jingkuan Wang, Matthias C. Rillig
Summary: Our study suggests that plastic film mulching and its residues in croplands do not pose a significant threat to food security, as the positive effects of the mulching practice outweigh any potential negative impacts. Although long-term use of plastic film mulching and urea nitrogen fertilization may have detrimental effects on crop growth, our experiment found no substantial differences in soil properties, maize growth, and yield between previously mulched and never-mulched plots.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Editorial Material
Engineering, Environmental
Matthias C. Rillig, Marlene agerstrand, Mohan Bi, Kenneth A. Gould, Uli Sauerland
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Environmental Sciences
Matthias C. Rillig, Marcel G. A. van der Heijden, Miguel Berdugo, Yu-Rong Liu, Judith Riedo, Carlos Sanz-Lazaro, Eduardo Moreno-Jimenez, Ferran Romero, Leho Tedersoo, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo
Summary: The authors investigate the relationship between soil stressors exceeding critical thresholds and ecosystem services. They find that multiple stressors crossing a high-level threshold reduce soil functioning and can predict ecosystem functioning. Increasing environmental stressors may decrease ecosystem functioning in soils. However, this relationship has not been globally assessed. Using global field surveys and natural and human factors, the authors test the relationship between stressors exceeding different critical thresholds and ecosystem services maintenance. Their analysis shows that multiple stressors, especially those crossing a high-level threshold, significantly reduce soil biodiversity and functioning globally. The number of stressors exceeding the >75% threshold consistently predicts multiple ecosystem services, enhancing the prediction of ecosystem functioning.
NATURE CLIMATE CHANGE
(2023)
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Khuong V. Dinh, Dania Albini, James A. Orr, Samuel J. Macaulay, Matthias C. Rillig, Katrine Borga, Michelle C. Jackson
Summary: Winter is a key driver of ecological processes, but human-induced climate change and other stressors are impacting organisms in unpredictable ways. This paper calls for renewed focus on understanding the effects of multiple stressors in winter and incorporating these interactions into ecological risk assessments and conservation efforts.
GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Eduardo Moreno Jimenez, Nuria Ferrol, Nicolas Corradi, Jesus M. Penalosa, Matthias C. Rillig
Summary: Studying the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on crop nutrition and their interactions with other soil microbes is crucial for optimizing agroecosystems and crops' uptake of micronutrients while reducing contamination from metal(loid)s.
Article
Plant Sciences
Matthias C. Rillig, Anika Lehmann, James A. Orr, Rebecca Rongstock
Summary: This article classifies and refines the targets of global change factors at different ecological hierarchy levels, and discusses how these effects propagate along the levels. It aims to inform future plant-focused global change experiments.
Article
Ecology
Ernest D. Osburn, Ga owen Yang, Matthias C. Rillig, Michael S. Strickland
Summary: Ecosystem functions and services are threatened by anthropogenic global change, and microorganisms play a crucial role in driving these functions. However, the specific characteristics of microbial communities that contribute to ecosystem stability under stress are unknown. This study found that while bacterial diversity can be an indicator of soil ecosystem function and stability, other characteristics of bacterial communities, such as total microbial biomass and specific taxa abundances, are stronger predictors of ecosystem function. These findings provide important insights into the role of microorganisms in supporting ecosystem function and stability.
ISME COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Engineering, Environmental
Anika Lehmann, Maximilian Flaig, Juan F. Duenas, Matthias C. Rillig
Summary: This article evaluates the evidence base of surfactant research on hydrological and physical soil variables, finding that the current knowledge is insufficient to draw strong conclusions about the effects of surfactants on soils. The authors call for further experiments on surfactant-mediated effects on soil properties and processes, with improved experimental design and data reporting standards.
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE & TECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Agriculture, Multidisciplinary
Hanwen Chen, Xin Zhang, Haixi Wang, Shuping Xing, Rongbin Yin, Wei Fu, Matthias C. Rillig, Baodong Chen, Yongguan Zhu
Summary: This study demonstrates the significant role of arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi in reducing the transport of microplastics from roots to shoots in crops. However, AM symbiosis does not substantially decrease the uptake of microplastics by crops from soil. Nevertheless, mycorrhizal fungi can enhance the resistance of crops to microplastics by transforming their chemical properties, reducing complex formation with crop components, and promoting crop phosphorus nutrition.
JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL AND FOOD CHEMISTRY
(2023)
Article
Ecology
Stavros D. Veresoglou, Junjiang Chen, Xuheng Du, Qi Fu, QingLiu Geng, Chenyan Huang, Xilin Huang, Nan Hu, Yiming Hun, Guolin C. Li, Zhiman Lin, Zhiyu Ma, Yuyi Ou, Shuo Qi, Haitian Qin, Yingbo Qiu, Xibin Sun, Ye Tao, YiLing Tian, Jie Wang, Lingxiao Wu, Ziwei Wu, Siqi Xie, Ao Yang, Dan Yang, Chen Zeng, Ying Zeng, RuJie Zhang
Summary: Reduced tillage practices offer a sustainable approach to intensify agriculture, but there is no consensus on how and when to implement them. In this study, we reanalyzed a comprehensive dataset and found that no-tillage practice outperforms conventional tillage in arid conditions and with fertilization, while conventional tillage performs better under high fertility settings. These consistent responses across crops complement the existing literature and fill a gap in understanding the conditions under which reduced tillage can be a viable alternative to common tillage practices.
SOIL ECOLOGY LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Soil Science
C. Beraud, F. Piola, J. Gervaix, G. Meiffren, C. Creuze des Chatelliers, A. Delort, C. Boisselet, S. Poussineau, E. Lacroix, A. A. M. Cantarel
Summary: This study investigated the soil factors influencing the development of biological denitrification inhibition (BDI) and found that initial soil moisture, ammonium concentration, and the initial abundance of certain microbial genes play significant roles in BDI development. Additionally, the research highlighted the relevance of biotic factors in explaining BDI and proposed the use of procyanidin concentration from plant belowground system as a new proxy for measuring BDI intensity.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Yizhu Qiao, Tingting Wang, Qiwei Huang, Hanyue Guo, He Zhang, Qicheng Xu, Qirong Shen, Ning Ling
Summary: Soil microbial community coalescence, the mixing and interaction of microbial communities, has been found to enhance the stability and complexity of rhizobacterial networks, leading to improved plant health and biomass. This study investigated the effects of different degrees of bacterial community coalescence on plant disease resistance by mixing soils from healthy and diseased habitats for watermelon planting. The results showed that mixing in more healthy soil reduced the plant disease index and increased biomass by improving the stability and complexity of the rhizobacterial network. Core taxa Nitrospirillum and Singulisphaera were enriched in the rhizosphere from healthy soils and played important roles in disease suppression and regulating the positive cohesion and modularity of the networks. Overall, these findings provide insights into the potential mechanism of microbial community coalescence for improving plant microbial community function and suggest new tools for enhancing plant fitness via soil microbiota mixing.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Mengqiu He, Shending Chen, Lei Meng, Xiaoqian Dan, Wenjie Wang, Qinying Zhu, Zucong Cai, Jinbo Zhang, Pierfrancesco Nardi, Christoph Mueller
Summary: Maize genotypes directly affect gene expression and nitrogen uptake capacity. The feedback between maize genotypes and soil nitrogen transformations, as well as their regulations on nitrogen uptake capacity, have been studied. The findings suggest that maize genotypes play a central role in regulating these feedbacks, which are important for maize breeding and enhancing maize production.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Ke Shi, Jiahui Liao, Xiaoming Zou, Han Y. H. Chen, Manuel Delgado-Baquerizo, Zhengming Yan, Tingting Ren, Honghua Ruan
Summary: Through rewilding, microbial extracellular and cellular residues can continuously accumulate in soils and significantly contribute to soil organic carbon sequestration. Extracellular residues are mainly driven by fine root biomass, while cellular residues are mainly driven by soil nitrogen and organic carbon content.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Sensen Chen, Ying Teng, Yongming Luo, Eiko Kuramae, Wenjie Ren
Summary: This study comprehensively assesses the effects of NMs on the soil microbiome through a global meta-analysis. The results reveal significant negative impacts of NMs on soil microbial diversity, biomass, activity, and function. Metal NMs, especially Ag NMs, have the most pronounced negative effects on various soil microbial community metrics.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Shareen K. D. Sanders, Gerard Martinez-De Leon, Ludovico Formenti, Madhav P. Thakur
Summary: Collembolans, the diverse group of soil invertebrates, are affected by anthropogenic climate warming, which alters their diversity and density. In addition to abiotic stressors, changes in food availability, specifically the abundance of saprotrophic and mycorrhizal fungi, influence Collembola responses to climate warming. Collembolans prefer saprotrophic fungi but rely on mycorrhizal fungi when food sources are scarce. Understanding the mechanisms behind these dietary shifts in warm-dry and warm-wet soil conditions is crucial for predicting the impact of climate change on Collembola-fungal interactions.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Wimonsiri Pingthaisong, Sergey Blagodatsky, Patma Vityakon, Georg Cadisch
Summary: A study found that mixing high-C/N ratio rice straw with low-C/N ratio groundnut stover can improve the chemical composition of the input, stimulate microbial growth, decrease the loss of residue-derived carbon in the soil, and reduce native soil carbon and nitrogen consumption.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
Article
Soil Science
Jiachen Wang, Jie Zhao, Rong Yang, Xin Liu, Xuyuan Zhang, Wei Zhang, Xiaoyong Chen, Wende Yan, Kelin Wang
Summary: Nitrogen is vital for ecosystem productivity, restoration, and succession processes. This study found that legume intercropping was more effective than chemical nitrogen fertilizers in promoting the complexity and stability of the soil micro-food web, as it increased microbial and nematode communities and enhanced energy flow patterns.
SOIL BIOLOGY & BIOCHEMISTRY
(2024)
