Article
Agronomy
Kaisa A. Torppa, Johannes Forkman, Nadia I. Maaroufi, Astrid R. Taylor, Tanel Vahter, Martti Vasar, Martin Weih, Maarja Oepik, Maria Viketoft
Summary: This study explores the effects of soil compaction on AM fungal colonization and AM-mediated phosphorus uptake in wheat. The results suggest that soil compaction can increase AM fungal colonization in certain wheat varieties, particularly those with inefficient phosphorus uptake traits. Additionally, increased AM fungal colonization and biomass can improve phosphorus uptake in wheat. The study also recommends breeding varieties that utilize both roots and AM symbiosis as strategies for nutrient uptake to improve nutrient uptake efficiency.
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Rafal Wazny, Roman J. Jedrzejczyk, Piotr Rozpadek, Agnieszka Domka, Katarzyna Turnau
Summary: This study explores the potential of plant biotization, specifically the use of root-inhabiting fungi, to promote the growth of Vaccinium corymbosum. The researchers found that the fungal strains Oidiodendron maius and Phialocephala fortinii were the most beneficial for plant growth in single inoculation experiments. Further experiments using a combination of root symbiotic fungi and endophytic fungi showed increased plant height and biomass, indicating the potential of these methods for large-scale blueberry production.
APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2022)
Review
Plant Sciences
Zhiqiang Pang, Jia Chen, Tuhong Wang, Chunsheng Gao, Zhimin Li, Litao Guo, Jianping Xu, Yi Cheng
Summary: This article reviews the patterns and potential underlying mechanisms of interactions between plant secondary metabolites (PSMs) and plant microbiomes, as well as recent developments in analytical approaches and methods in this field.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Xin Guo, Ping Wang, Xinjie Wang, Yaoming Li, Baoming Ji
Summary: This study reveals that the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) on plant growth vary due to plant-AMF specificity. The native AMF from Poa annua shows broad-spectrum benefits on various plants, indicating its potential utilization in the restoration of desert vegetation.
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Ecology
Jennifer B. H. Martiny, Adam C. Martiny, Eoin Brodie, Alexander B. Chase, Alejandra Rodriguez-Verdugo, Kathleen K. Treseder, Steven D. Allison
Summary: Microorganisms are crucial for biogeochemical processes and ecosystem services, but their functioning is highly sensitive to environmental change. Evolutionary processes could play a role in this response, yet few models consider how microbial evolution affects biogeochemical responses. We propose a framework that integrates evolution into microbiome-functioning relationships, considering four interrelated processes (physiological acclimation, demography, dispersal, and evolution). Recent evidence suggests that ecological and evolutionary dynamics occur simultaneously within microbiomes, but the implications for biogeochemistry under environmental change depend on timescales. Over the long term, evolution may play an increasingly important role in microbially driven biogeochemical responses to unprecedented conditions.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Liping Huo, Ruiru Gao, Xinyu Hou, Xiaoxia Yu, Xuejun Yang
Summary: The study investigated the relationships between two root symbiotic fungi, AMF and DSE, in the roots of Artemisia plants across central and eastern China. Results showed no significant correlation between AMF and DSE, with each playing independent roles in response to the regional environment. AMF colonization was positively correlated with temperature and precipitation, while DSE colonization showed no significant correlation with climate or soil.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Article
Microbiology
Naoto Nakamura, Hirokazu Toju, Kaoru Kitajima
Summary: This study compared the microbial communities associated with the invasive plant Ardisia crenata in its native range, Japan, and exotic range, Florida, USA, by extracting fungal and bacterial DNA from leaf endosphere, root endosphere, and soil. The results showed that the microbial community compositions and diversity differed between the native and exotic ranges, and the abundance of plant pathogenic fungi was higher in the native range compared to the exotic range, supporting the enemy release hypothesis.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Plant Sciences
Katja Steinauer, Madhav P. P. Thakur, S. Emilia Hannula, Alexander Weinhold, Henriette Uthe, Nicole M. M. van Dam, T. Martijn Bezemer
Summary: Plants influence soil biotic factors and alter the performance of later growing plants, known as plant-soil feedback (PSF). This study investigates the link between PSF effects and temporal changes in root exudate diversity and rhizosphere microbiome. The results show that root exudate diversity increases over time, and rhizosphere microbial communities differ in conspecific and heterospecific soils and exhibit strong temporal patterns. English Summary: Root exudates and rhizosphere microbial communities play an important role in driving temporal changes in the strength of plant-soil feedback effects.
PLANT CELL AND ENVIRONMENT
(2023)
Article
Agronomy
Tao Zhang, Gu Feng
Summary: The study shows that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi can reduce the negative impact of nutrient resource diversity on plant community composition by improving plant density and nutrient uptake, thus maintaining higher plant species diversity and increasing plant productivity.
Article
Microbiology
Maria Elena Lopez-Perez, Adriana Saldana-Robles, Gabriela Ana Zanor, Jorge E. Ibarra, Maria Cristina Del Rincon-Castro
Summary: This report analyzed physical and chemical properties, as well as total arsenic concentrations in agricultural and mining soils in Guanajuato, Mexico. Metagenomic analysis identified bacteria and fungi resistant to arsenic, with the mining soil showing higher arsenic concentration. The study found that microorganisms in mining soils exhibited greater resistance to arsenic compared to agricultural soils.
ARCHIVES OF MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)
Review
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Zhongke Sun, Bartholomew Saanu Adeleke, Yini Shi, Chengwei Li
Summary: Seed microbiomes play a crucial role in plant growth and nutrition. They have versatile functions and modulating properties in the context of seeds. Studying and engineering seed microbiomes can lead to safer and more fruitful grain production.
MICROBIAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
(2023)
Review
Ecology
Tsipe Aavik, Sabrina Trager, Martin Zobel, Olivier Honnay, Maarten Van Geel, C. Guillermo Bueno, Kadri Koorem
Summary: Drastic loss of natural habitats has threatened biodiversity, and improving ecosystem complexity can enhance ecological restoration success.
FUNCTIONAL ECOLOGY
(2021)
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)
Article
Ecology
Austen Apigo, Ryoko Oono
Summary: This study explored the relationship between patterns of host specificity in foliar fungal endophytes and characteristics of the plant community. The results showed that more abundant plant species harbored fewer endophyte species and that these endophytes were consistently found in the same plant species across the landscape. There was no relationship between plant phylogenetic distance and endophyte community dissimilarity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Nianxun Xi, Sarah McCarthy-Neumann, Jiayi Feng, Hangyu Wu, Weitao Wang, Marina Semchenko
Summary: Plant-soil feedbacks are influenced by light availability and shade tolerance, and play a significant role in species coexistence in forest communities. High light conditions promote positive PSFs between species with different shade tolerance, while low light conditions lead to negative PSFs. Soil microbial composition and diversity, particularly the abundance of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, contribute to the variation in PSFs under high light. These findings enhance our understanding of how plant-soil feedbacks and shade tolerance interact to promote species coexistence.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Santona Khatun, Tomoya Iwata, Hisaya Kojima, Yoshiki Ikarashi, Kana Yamanami, Daichi Imazawa, Tanaka Kenta, Ryuichiro Shinohara, Hiromi Saito
Article
Microbiology
Hirokazu Toju, Masato S. Abe, Chiharu Ishii, Yoshie Hori, Hiroaki Fujita, Shinji Fukuda
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2020)
Editorial Material
Ecology
Nagai Shin, Hideaki Shibata, Takeshi Osawa, Takehisa Yamakita, Masahiro Nakamura, Tanaka Kenta
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Taiki Inoue, Yuki A. Yaida, Yuki Uehara, Koki R. Katsuhara, Jun Kawai, Keiko Takashima, Atushi Ushimaru, Tanaka Kenta
Summary: Studies show that old grasslands have the highest number of plant species and biodiversity, acting as refugia for plant communities, while the plant composition in new grasslands and forests differs. Eleven indicator species were detected in old grasslands, indicating their uniqueness.
ECOLOGICAL RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Plant Sciences
Qing-Wei Wang, Marta Pieriste, Chenggang Liu, Tanaka Kenta, Thomas Matthew Robson, Hiroko Kurokawa
Summary: Sunlight plays a significant role in accelerating litter decomposition, with blue light contributing a large percentage to this process. Herbaceous and shrub litter decompose faster than tree litter, and the initial lignin and polyphenolic contents of the litter can predict the effects of blue light and ultraviolet B radiation on photodegradation.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Timothy Paape, Reiko Akiyama, Teo Cereghetti, Yoshihiko Onda, Akira S. Hirao, Tanaka Kenta, Kentaro K. Shimizu
FRONTIERS IN GENETICS
(2020)
Article
Ecology
Kohmei Kadowaki, Satoshi Yamamoto, Hirotoshi Sato, Akifumi S. Tanabe, Hirokazu Toju
Summary: In temperate forests, ectomycorrhizal tree species tend to dominate over arbuscular mycorrhizal tree species, but they generally coexist. Ecological feedbacks mediated by aboveground herbivory are more plant species-specific, while belowground fungal feedbacks are more mycorrhizal type-specific in regulating temperate tree diversity.
Article
Plant Sciences
Ikuyo Saeki, Akira S. Hirao, Tanaka Kenta
Summary: This study analyzed the genetic structure and diversity of a riparian relic species, Acer miyabei, in Japan, and found that the genetic clustering of the relic species did not perfectly match the current patterns of geographic distribution. The study inferred that the disjunction of the two southern groups occurred more recently than the disjunction between these groups and the northern group, and the mountainous landscape likely played a role in the retention of distinctive genetic variation.
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY
(2022)
Article
Plant Sciences
Yoshitaka Oishi, Hajime Kobayashi, Satoshi N. Suzuki, Ryuji Kanai, Daisuke Masaki, Tanaka Kenta
Summary: This study conducted warming experiments using open-top chambers (OTCs) and found that climate change affects bryophyte cover differently, with Pogonatum japonicum increasing and Dicranum majus decreasing in response to the OTC treatment. The decline in D. majus cover may be attributed to its better adaptation to high-elevation climates, as well as the decrease in rainfall and fog within the OTCs. These findings provide insights into the mechanisms of bryophyte responses to warming in mountain ecosystems.
Article
Ecology
Takuya Kageyama, Hirokazu Toju
Summary: Bacteria, fungi, and nematodes are important components of soil ecosystems, but it is challenging to reveal the complete picture of soil community structure. This study standardized DNA extraction protocols for simultaneous DNA metabarcoding of these three organismal groups and found that DNA extraction from at least 20 g of soil is necessary for comparing biodiversity patterns among bacteria, fungi, and nematodes.
FRONTIERS IN ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
(2022)
Article
Microbiology
Hiroaki Fujita, Masayuki Ushio, Kenta Suzuki, Masato S. Abe, Masato Yamamichi, Yusuke Okazaki, Alberto Canarini, Ibuki Hayashi, Keitaro Fukushima, Shinji Fukuda, E. Toby Kiers, Hirokazu Toju
Summary: By analyzing the shotgun metagenomic sequencing data of an experimental microbial community, we discovered that the network structure of facilitative interactions in microbial ecosystems can change over time. By using metabolic modeling, we inferred the potential facilitative interaction networks at 13 time points during the 110-day monitoring of the microbiomes. We found that positive feedback loops, which can lead to ecological cascade breakdown, existed in the metabolic interaction networks before the drastic community compositional shift.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Daii Yajima, Hiroaki Fujita, Ibuki Hayashi, Genta Shima, Kenta Suzuki, Hirokazu Toju
Summary: This study used time-series analysis to examine the core components and structure of fish-associated microbiomes in aquatic ecosystems, and identified a vitamin-B-12-producing bacteria that had a positive impact on eels' activity levels. These results suggest that the integration of microbiology, ecological theory, and network science allows for the exploration of core species and interactions within fish-associated microbiomes.
Article
Microbiology
Hiroaki Fujita, Masayuki Ushio, Kenta Suzuki, Masato S. Abe, Masato Yamamichi, Koji Iwayama, Alberto Canarini, Ibuki Hayashi, Keitaro Fukushima, Shinji Fukuda, E. Toby Kiers, Hirokazu Toju
Summary: Researchers combined theoretical frameworks and empirical analyses to predict microbiome dynamics. They found that abrupt changes in microbial communities could be forecasted by analyzing time-series data based on statistical physics and non-linear mechanics.
Article
Ecology
Sayaka S. Suzuki, Yuki G. Baba, Hirokazu Toju
Summary: Using high-throughput detection of prey DNA, the authors reconstructed interaction networks between 50 spider species and 974 prey species, revealing shifting seasonal dynamics. The results show that species-rich predator-prey interaction networks undergo remarkable structural changes, with core species playing significant roles in ecosystem processes.
NATURE ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION
(2023)
Article
Microbiology
Yoshie Hori, Hiroaki Fujita, Kei Hiruma, Kazuhiko Narisawa, Hirokazu Toju
Summary: Studies show that the combination effects of pairs of microbes may result in overestimation or underestimation of the functions of single microbial species/isolates. Designing a set of microbes that can maximize the performance of crop plants is crucial for the use of microbial functions in sustainable agriculture.
FRONTIERS IN MICROBIOLOGY
(2021)