Research reveals that soil animals interact with arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi to promote plant growth

  The composition of soil fungal communities is complex and diverse, including species with diverse functions ranging from plant pathogens to symbiotic bacteria. The arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus (AMF) of the symbiotic bacteria can help plants obtain the phosphorus (P) needed for growth. Although the relationship between the plant host and abiotic factors and the AMF community has been revealed, it is still unclear how the higher trophic soil animals (protozoa and nematodes) affect the structure and function of the AMF community through predation, and it is difficult to establish an effective nematode orientation Control measures to improve plant productivity and nutrient utilization.

  Sun Bo’s research group from the Nanjing Institute of Soil Science, Chinese Academy of Sciences, based on the experiment of organic fertilization in dryland red soil, explored the interaction between AMF, fungal-eating protozoa and nematodes under the condition of long-term application of pig manure, and revealed that fungal pathways in the micro-food web affect the rhizosphere The promotion mechanism of phosphorus transformation and plant productivity. Studies have shown that the application of organic fertilizer increases the biomass of AMF and the number of fungal-eating nematodes, and the community structure of AMF, fungal-eating protozoa and nematodes is significantly different. The predation of fungal-eating protozoa and nematodes stimulated the increase of AMF biomass and significantly changed the AMF community composition. Through the detection of AMF in the intestines of nematodes, it is found that under high fertilizer treatment, the abundance of AMF in the intestines of the dominant species of fungal-eating nematodes Aphelenchides and Aphelenchus is higher, suggesting that the two dominant nematodes have a greater effect on AMF The feeding effect is stronger. The interaction of AMF-fungal animals increases the colonization of AMF in corn roots and the expression level of the P transporter gene ZMPht1;6 in plants, and improves plant productivity. This study emphasizes the biological mechanism of the interaction between AMF, fungal-eating protozoa and nematodes in driving plant phosphorus uptake and productivity, providing a theoretical basis for promoting high crop yields.

  Related research results were published on Microbiome. The research work was funded by the National Science Fund for Outstanding Youth, Jiangsu Outstanding Youth Fund and the National Key Research and Development Program.