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Article
Microbe-induced phenotypic variation leads to overyielding in clonal plant populations
Overyielding, the high productivity of multispecies plant communities, is commonly seen as the result of plant genetic diversity. Here we demonstrate that biodiversity–ecosystem functioning relationships can e...
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Article
Open AccessEffects of plant tissue permeability on invasion and population bottlenecks of a phytopathogen
Pathogen genetic diversity varies in response to environmental changes. However, it remains unclear whether plant barriers to invasion could be considered a genetic bottleneck for phytopathogen populations. He...
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Article
Coming of age for the rhizosphere microbiome transplantation
Microbiome transplants have the potential to disrupt agriculture and medicine by transferring the microbial genetic pool (and hence capabilities) from one host to another. Yet, for this technology to become re...
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Chapter
Microbiome and Plant Nutritional Value: Current Knowledge and Management
Nutrient deficiencies are a major issue worldwide. Microorganisms can affect plant nutrition and may form the backbone of fortification strategies ensuring high nutritional values of grains and vegetables. How...
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Article
Open AccessRapid evolution of bacterial mutualism in the plant rhizosphere
While beneficial plant-microbe interactions are common in nature, direct evidence for the evolution of bacterial mutualism is scarce. Here we use experimental evolution to causally show that initially plant-an...
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Article
Competition for iron drives phytopathogen control by natural rhizosphere microbiomes
Plant pathogenic bacteria cause high crop and economic losses to human societies1–3. Infections by such pathogens are challenging to control as they often arise through complex interactions between plants, pathog...
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Article
Open AccessRhizosphere protists are key determinants of plant health
Plant health is intimately influenced by the rhizosphere microbiome, a complex assembly of organisms that changes markedly across plant growth. However, most rhizosphere microbiome research has focused on frac...
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Article
Phage combination therapies for bacterial wilt disease in tomato
Bacteriophages have been proposed as an alternative to pesticides to kill bacterial pathogens of crops. However, the efficacy of phage biocontrol is variable and poorly understood in natural rhizosphere microb...
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Article
Open AccessElevated tropospheric CO2 and O3 concentrations impair organic pollutant removal from grassland soil
The concentrations of tropospheric CO2 and O3 have been rising due to human activities. These rising concentrations may have strong impacts on soil functions as changes in plant physiology may lead to altered pla...
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Article
Open AccessMicrobial modulation of plant ethylene signaling: ecological and evolutionary consequences
The plant hormone ethylene is one of the central regulators of plant development and stress resistance. Optimal ethylene signaling is essential for plant fitness and is under strong selection pressure. Plants ...
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Article
Application of biochar reduces Ralstonia solanacearum infection via effects on pathogen chemotaxis, swarming motility, and root exudate adsorption
We evaluated the efficacy of biochar application for suppressing bacterial wilt of tomato and identified the potential underlying mechanisms involved in the disease control.
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Chapter
Application of Protists to Improve Plant Growth in Sustainable Agriculture
Plant health and growth are largely dependent on root-associated microbiota. Several bacteria and fungi can provide important services to plants, such as nutrient mineralization or protection against diseases....
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Article
Open AccessProtozoa stimulate the plant beneficial activity of rhizospheric pseudomonads
The functioning of plant-associated bacteria is strongly influenced by their interaction with other organisms. For instance, bacteria upregulate the production of secondary metabolites in presence of protozoa ...
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Article
Pathogen invasion indirectly changes the composition of soil microbiome via shifts in root exudation profile
Plant-derived root exudates modulate plant-microbe interactions and may play an important role in pathogen suppression. Root exudates may, for instance, directly inhibit pathogens or alter microbiome compositi...
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Article
Open AccessUnravelling Linkages between Plant Community Composition and the Pathogen-Suppressive Potential of Soils
Plant diseases cause dramatic yield losses worldwide. Current disease control practices can be deleterious for the environment and human health, calling for alternative and sustainable management regimes. Soil...
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Article
Open AccessTrophic network architecture of root-associated bacterial communities determines pathogen invasion and plant health
Host-associated bacterial communities can function as an important line of defence against pathogens in animals and plants. Empirical evidence and theoretical predictions suggest that species-rich communities ...
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Article
Ecological stability in response to warming
Although many species-level responses to climate warming have been documented, understanding of ecosystem-level stability under warming remains low. Now, a study using meta-analyses of temperature effects on m...
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Article
Evolutionary history predicts the stability of cooperation in microbial communities
Cooperation fundamentally contributes to the success of life on earth, but its persistence in diverse communities remains a riddle, as selfish phenotypes rapidly evolve and may spread until disrupting cooperat...
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Article
Open AccessSecondary Metabolites of Pseudomonas fluorescens CHA0 Drive Complex Non-Trophic Interactions with Bacterivorous Nematodes
Non-trophic interactions are increasingly recognised as a key parameter of predator–prey interactions. In soil, predation by bacterivorous nematodes is a major selective pressure sha** soil bacterial communi...
