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Positive microbial legacy and short-term clonal plasticity aid grazing tolerance of a widespread grass species

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Abstract

Aims

Legacy effects arising from grazing may alter the effect of plant-soil feedback (PSF), plant-phyllosphere feedback (PPF) and/or transgenerational plasticity on plant performance. Understanding how effects from these mechanisms are influenced by grazing can help predict grassland production and ecosystem dynamics.

Methods

Plant clonal buds and shoot materials of Leymus chinensis (a clonal grass species widely distributed across the eastern Eurasian Steppes), sterilised and non-sterilised soils were collected from sites subjected to long-term grazing or no grazing. We then conducted a series of studies to determine the presence and context-dependency of (1) PSF, (2) PPF and (3) clonal transgenerational plasticity mechanisms on long-term grazing by measuring plant above/belowground biomass, height and density.

Results

Inoculation with soil biota conditioned by L. chinensis from grazed sites increased root growth by 83.99% (positive PSF), but not inoculum from ungrazed sites (neutral PSF). Shoot inocula from grazed and ungrazed sites had similar positive effects on plant growth (positive PPF). Clonal offspring from grazed sites showed transgenerational trait plasticity in terms of herbivory-avoidance (21.24% height reduction and 84.62% tiller density increase), but aboveground production was unaffected. Additionally, grazed field plots with a year of grazing exclusion showed similar plant heights and aboveground biomass as ungrazed plots, which indicated short-term transgenerational trait plasticity.

Conclusions

Positive PSF and short-term clonal transgenerational plasticity of L. chinensis depended on past grazing activity, and together with positive PPF, can aid their recovery and fitness in subsequent growing seasons. Our findings highlighted context-dependent plant–microorganism interactions and trans-generational feedback of plants in response to grazing.

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Funding

Funding was supported by the Natural Science Foundation (NSF) of China (32071882; 31702161), Inner Mongolia Science and Technology Project (2021GG0055; 2021ZY0039; 2021GG0415), the Open Project Program of the Ministry of Education Key Laboratory of Ecology and Resource Use of the Mongolian Plateau (Inner Mongolia University); Qinghai Science & Technology Project (2020-ZJ-Y03). We thank Qingshan Zhao, Junjie Duan, Zhuo Bai and Fang Mu for their assistance in the experiments.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Grassland Research, Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, Hohhot, China

    Xiliang Li, Shixian Sun, Hongxiao Shi, Ke Jin & Yuanheng Li

  2. Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, Singapore

    G. Kenny Png

  3. Key Laboratory of Superior Forage Germplasm in the Qinghai-Tibetan Plateau, Qinghai Academy of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine, Qinghai University, Xining, China

    Hongxiao Shi

Authors
  1. Xiliang Li
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  2. G. Kenny Png
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  3. Shixian Sun
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  4. Hongxiao Shi
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  5. Ke Jin
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  6. Yuanheng Li
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Contributions

X.L. K.J. and Y.L. conceived the ideas and designed methodology; X.L., S.S. and H.S. collected the data; X.L. K.P., K.J. and Y.L. analyzed the data; X.L., K.P., K.J. and Y.L. led the writing of the manuscript. All authors contributed critically to the drafts and gave final approval for publication.

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Correspondence to Ke Jin or Yuanheng Li.

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Li, X., Png, G.K., Sun, S. et al. Positive microbial legacy and short-term clonal plasticity aid grazing tolerance of a widespread grass species. Plant Soil 473, 291–303 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-021-05281-5

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