Short-term fertilizer application alters phenotypic traits of symbiotic nitrogen fixing bacteria.

ABSTRACT: Fertilizer application is a common anthropogenic alteration to terrestrial systems. Increased nutrient input can impact soil microbial diversity or function directly through altered soil environments, or indirectly through plant-microbe feedbacks, with potentially important effects on ecologically-important plant-associated mutualists. We investigated the impacts of plant fertilizer, containing all common macro and micronutrients on symbiotic nitrogen-fixing bacteria (rhizobia), a group of bacteria that are important for plant productivity and ecosystem function. We collected rhizobia nodule isolates from natural field soil that was treated with slow-release plant fertilizer over a single growing season and compared phenotypic traits related to free-living growth and host partner quality i

SUBMITTER: Simonsen AK 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4614912 | biostudies-literature | 2015

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature