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Roots with larger specific root length and C: N ratio sustain more complex rhizosphere nematode community

Plant and Soil (2022)Cite this article

Abstract

Purpose

Roots bridge aboveground and belowground systems, and play a pivotal role in structuring root-associated organisms via influencing food resources and habitat conditions. Most studies focused on the relationships between plant identity and root-associated organisms, however, little is known about how root traits affect nematode communities within the rhizosphere.

Methods

We investigated the relationships between root traits of four plant species and nematode abundance, community structure and trophic complexity in an ex-arable field.

Results

While the relative abundance of herbivores was negatively associated with specific root length (SRL), specific root area (SRA), root length density (RLD) and root C: N ratio, free-living nematodes were positively affected by these traits, implying a multifaceted effect of root traits on root-associated organisms. Importantly, we found that finer root systems promoted the complexity of rhizosphere nematode community, by increasing the relative abundance of high trophic-level nematodes (i.e., omnivores and predators) and enhancing nematode diversity.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that root traits could comprehensively shape soil community structure and interactions, and provide new insights into soil biodiversity conservation and functional maintenance.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the National Foundation of Sciences in China (42077047), National Key R&D program (2021YFD1700202), and China Agriculture Research System of MOF and MARA (Green manure, CARS-22). We thank Wenqing Fan, Shanyi Tian, Yanhong Cheng and Qianru Huang for providing support in field and sampling.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Soil Ecology Lab, College of Resources and Environmental Sciences, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China

    Jingru Zhang, Zhengkun Hu, Chongzhe Zhang, Yiheng Tao, Xiaoyun Chen & Manqiang Liu

  2. Key Laboratory of Biological Interaction and Crop Health, Jiangsu Collaborative Innovation Center for Solid Organic Waste Resource Utilization, Nanjing Agricultural University, 210095, Nanjing, China

    Jingru Zhang, Zhengkun Hu, Chongzhe Zhang, Yiheng Tao, Xiaoyun Chen & Manqiang Liu

  3. Department of Agriculture, Horticulture and Engineering Sciences, SRUC, Edinburgh, UK

    Bryan S. Griffiths

  4. Centre for Grassland Microbiome, State Key Laboratory of Grassland Agro-Ecosystems, College of Pastoral Agriculture Science and Technology, Lanzhou University, 730020, Lanzhou, China

    Manqiang Liu

Authors
  1. Jingru Zhang
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  2. Zhengkun Hu
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  3. Chongzhe Zhang
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  7. Manqiang Liu
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Research design was performed by Xiaoyun Chen and Manqiang Liu. Experiment and data collection were performed by Jingru Zhang and Chongzhe Zhang. Data analysis was performed by Jingru Zhang and Yiheng Tao. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Jingru Zhang, Zhengkun Hu, Chongzhe Zhang, Xiaoyun Chen and Manqiang Liu, and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Manqiang Liu.

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Zhang, J., Hu, Z., Zhang, C. et al. Roots with larger specific root length and C: N ratio sustain more complex rhizosphere nematode community. Plant Soil (2022). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11104-022-05465-7

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Keywords

  • Network complexity
  • Rhizosphere fauna
  • Root traits
  • Soil food web
  • Soil restoration