Phosphorus (P) is a main limiting factor for agricultural production, but overusing P fertilizer has brought serious environmental damages in China. Improving P acquisition efficiency of agricultural crops is an urgent topic. It has been proven repeatedly that arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and genetic diversity within one crop plant can play i...
Published in Frontiers in Plant Science
Volatile organic compounds are secondary metabolites emitted by all organisms, especially by plants and microbes. Their role as aboveground signals has been established for decades. Recent evidence suggests that they might have a non-negligible role belowground and might be involved in root–root and root–microbial/pest interactions. Our aim here wa...
Published in Frontiers in Plant Science
The ongoing climate change is characterized by increased temperatures and altered precipitation patterns. In addition, there has been an increase in both the frequency and intensity of extreme climatic events such as drought. Episodes of drought induce a series of interconnected effects, all of which have the potential to alter the carbon balance o...
Published in Frontiers in Microbiology
Arbuscular mycorrhizas possess well developed extraradical mycelium (ERM) network that enlarge the surrounding soil for better acquisition of water and nutrients, besides soil aggregation. Distinction in ERM functioning was studied under a rootbox system, which consisted of root+hyphae and root-free hyphae compartments separated by 37-μm nylon mesh...
Published in The New phytologist
Published in The New phytologist
The common occurrence of mutualistic interactions between plants and root symbionts is problematic. As the delivery of benefit to hosts involves costs to symbionts, symbionts that provide reduced benefit to their host are expected to increase in frequency. Plants have been shown to allocate preferentially to the most efficient symbiont and this pre...
Published in The New phytologist
Interactions between trees and microorganisms are tremendously complex and the multispecies networks resulting from these associations have consequences for plant growth and productivity. However, a more holistic view is needed to better understand trees as ecosystems and superorganisms, where many interacting species contribute to the overall stab...
Peer reviewed
