Range-expansion effects on the belowground plant microbiome

Nat Ecol Evol. 2019 Apr;3(4):604-611. doi: 10.1038/s41559-019-0828-z. Epub 2019 Mar 25.

Abstract

Plant range expansion is occurring at a rapid pace, largely in response to human-induced climate warming. Although the movement of plants along latitudinal and altitudinal gradients is well-documented, effects on belowground microbial communities remain largely unknown. Furthermore, for range expansion, not all plant species are equal: in a new range, the relatedness between range-expanding plant species and native flora can influence plant-microorganism interactions. Here we use a latitudinal gradient spanning 3,000 km across Europe to examine bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and surrounding soils of range-expanding plant species. We selected range-expanding plants with and without congeneric native species in the new range and, as a control, the congeneric native species, totalling 382 plant individuals collected across Europe. In general, the status of a plant as a range-expanding plant was a weak predictor of the composition of bacterial and fungal communities. However, microbial communities of range-expanding plant species became more similar to each other further from their original range. Range-expanding plants that were unrelated to the native community also experienced a decrease in the ratio of plant pathogens to symbionts, giving weak support to the enemy release hypothesis. Even at a continental scale, the effects of plant range expansion on the belowground microbiome are detectable, although changes to specific taxa remain difficult to decipher.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Bacteria / genetics
  • Bacteria / isolation & purification
  • Climate Change
  • DNA, Bacterial / analysis
  • DNA, Fungal / analysis
  • Europe
  • Fungi / genetics
  • Fungi / isolation & purification
  • Microbiota*
  • Plants / microbiology*
  • Rhizosphere*
  • Soil Microbiology

Substances

  • DNA, Bacterial
  • DNA, Fungal