The insufficiency of bioavailable phosphorus in soil necessitates the development of diverse strategies for activating phosphorus and its efficient utilization by plants and soil microbes. Simultaneously, plants and soil microbes interact closely to enhance the bioavailability of soil phosphorus.

A recent study published in Functional Ecology, led by Prof. ZENG Fanjiang from the Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography (XIEG) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, found that the availability of soil phosphorus is affected by the formation of a phoD harboring bacterial community, which is influenced by the fine-root traits of deep-rooted desert plants.

The researchers obtained fine-root samples from one- and three-year-old deep-rooted plant seedlings (Alhagi sparsifolia Shap.) as well as samples of the rhizospheres and bulk soil from a three-year artificial outdoor pot experiment involving phosphorus supply. Subsequently, the researchers conducted an analysis of the fine-root traits and the phoD-harboring bacterial community.

The results indicated that fine-root traits were the most important determinants of the compositions and structures of the rhizospheric phoD-harboring bacteria communities and thus influenced the availability of rhizospheric phosphorus. In addition, the plasticity of the fine-root traits of desert species to environmental shifts (different P-supply levels) significantly influences on the rhizospheric communities of phoD-harboring bacteria.

“Fine-root morphological traitshave gradually become the main root traits regulating soil phosphorus availability as the plants grow,” said GAO Yanju, First author of the study.

This study has unveiled novel insights into the intricate interplay between fine-root traits and bacterial communities, serving as primary influencer of soil phosphorus pool dynamics within hyper-arid desert ecosystems.

Article link: https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.14635

Contact

LONG Huaping

Xinjiang Institute of Ecology and Geography

E-mail: longhp@ms.xjb.ac.cn

Web: http://english.egi.cas.cn