Genotype, mycorrhizae, and herbivory interact to shape strawberry plant functional traits.

ABSTRACT: Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) and herbivores are ubiquitous biotic agents affecting plant fitness. While individual effects of pairwise interactions have been well-studied, less is known about how species interactions above and belowground interact to influence phenotypic plasticity in plant functional traits, especially phytochemicals. We hypothesized that mycorrhizae would mitigate negative herbivore effects by enhancing plant physiology and reproductive traits. Furthermore, we expected genotypic variation would influence functional trait responses to these biotic agents. To test these hypotheses, we conducted a manipulative field-based experiment with three strawberry (Fragaria x ananassa) genotypes to evaluate plant phenotypic plasticity in multiple functional traits. We us

SUBMITTER: Whyle RL 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC9644214 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature