Feedback Between Plants and Soil Microbes in Serpentine and Prairie Grasslands

蛇形草原和草原草原中植物和土壤微生物之间的反馈本研究调查了某些草种与其菌根真菌之间的关系是否在维持自然群落中的植物物种多样性方面发挥了作用。菌根真菌通常与植物的根形成互惠关系。植物为真菌提供糖分，作为回报，植物获得的好处包括增加对水分和营养的吸收，在某些情况下，还提高了应对有毒金属的能力。最近的研究记录了不同菌根真菌和不同植物物种之间的负反馈，其中与特定植物物种相关的真菌对该植物物种的益处不如与群落中其他植物物种相关的真菌。因此，当一种植物死亡时，其菌根真菌和任何相关的病原真菌仍留在土壤中，该植物很可能被另一种植物取代，从而促进物种多样性。这项工作建立在草原上发现的蛇纹土上的负反馈上，蛇纹土自然具有很高的重金属含量。负面反馈将在该地点和同样发生这些草的Tallgras草原上进一步探索。研究结果还可能有助于发展菌根真菌，促进重金属污染土壤的修复。

Feedback between plants and soil microbes in serpentine and prairie grasslandsThis research investigates whether the relationships between certain grass species and their mycorrhizal fungi play a role in maintaining plant species diversity in natural communities. Mycorrhizal fungi generally form mutually beneficial associations with plant roots. Plants supply the fungi with sugars and, in return, receive benefits that include increased uptake of water and nutrients, and in some cases, increased ability to cope with toxic metals. Recent studies have documented negative feedback between different mycorrhizal fungi and different plant species, where the fungi associated with a particular plant species do not provide as much benefit to that plant species as do fungi associated with other plant species in the community. Consequently, when one plant dies and its mycorrhizal fungi and any associated pathogenic fungi remain in the soil, that plant is likely to be replaced by a different plant species, thereby promoting species diversity. This work builds on negative feedback found in a grassland on serpentine soil, which naturally has a high heavy metal content. Negative feedback will be further explored at that site and in the tallgrass prairie, where these same grasses occur. Results may also help in developing mycorrhizal fungi that facilitate remediation of soils polluted with heavy metals.