Rhizobial variation, more than plant variation, mediates plant symbiotic and fitness responses to herbicide stress.

ABSTRACT: Symbiotic mutualisms provide critical ecosystem services throughout the world. Anthropogenic stressors, however, may disrupt mutualistic interactions and impact ecosystem health. The plant-rhizobia symbiosis promotes plant growth and contributes to the nitrogen (N) cycle. While off-target herbicide exposure is recognized as a significant stressor impacting wild plants, we lack knowledge about how it affects the symbiotic relationship between plants and rhizobia. Moreover, we do not know whether the impact of herbicide exposure on symbiotic traits or plant fitness might be ameliorated by plant or rhizobial genetic variation. To address these gaps, we conducted a greenhouse study where we grew 17 full-sibling genetic families of red clover (Trifolium pratense) either alone (uninoculated) or

SUBMITTER: Iriart V 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11610682 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature