Abstract
Although microbes influence plant growth, little is known about the impact of microbial diversity on plant fitness trade-offs, intraspecific-interactions, and soil nutrient dynamics in the context of biodiversity-ecosystem functioning (BEF) research. The BEF theory states that higher species richness can enhance ecosystem functioning. Thus, we hypothesize that rhizobacterial species richness will alter sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.) growth, soil nutrient dynamics and interactions (antagonism or synergism) in a nutrient-poor greenhouse soil. Using six rhizobacterial species in a BEF experiment, we tested the impact of a species richness gradient (0, 1, 3, 5 or 6 species per community) on plant growth, nutrient assimilation, and soil nutrient dynamics via seed-inoculation. Our experiment included, one un-inoculated control, six rhizobacterial monoculture (Pseudomonas poae, Pseudomonas sp., Bacillus pumilus., Pantoea agglomerance., Microbacterium sp., and Serratia marcescens), and their nine mixture treatments in triplicate (48). Rhizobacterial species richness enhanced per pot above- or below-ground dry mass. However, the per plant growth and plant nutrient assimilation declined, most likely, due to microbial-driven competitive interactions among sorghum plants. But nevertheless, some rhizobacterial monoculture and mixture treatments improved per plant (shoot and root) growth and nutrient assimilation as well. Soil nutrient contents were mostly lower at higher plant-associated rhizobacterial diversity; among these, the soil Zn contents decreased significantly across the rhizobacterial diversity gradient. Rhizobacterial diversity promoted synergistic interactions among soil nutrients and improved root-soil interactions. Overall, our results suggest that a higher rhizobacterial diversity may enhance soil-plant interactions and total productivity under resource limited conditions.
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Claims 12
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobacterial richness increased per-pot above- or below-ground dry mass.
- Treatment
- Rhizobacterial species richnesse0
- Interactor
- Rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- per pot above- or below-ground dry masse0
- Direction
- enhancede0
SorghumNot reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rhizobacterial species richness enhanced per pot above- or below-ground dry mass”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Per-plant growth declined across the rhizobacterial richness gradient.
- Treatment
- rhizobacterial species richnesse1
- Interactor
- rhizobacteriale1symbiont
- Outcome
- per plant growthe0
- Direction
- declinede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the per plant growth and plant nutrient assimilation declined”
e1“rhizobacterial species richness”
e2“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Plant nutrient assimilation declined across the rhizobacterial richness gradient.
- Treatment
- rhizobacterial species richnesse1
- Interactor
- rhizobacteriale1symbiont
- Outcome
- plant nutrient assimilatione0
- Direction
- declinede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the per plant growth and plant nutrient assimilation declined”
e1“rhizobacterial species richness”
e2“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Some rhizobacterial monocultures improved per-plant shoot and root growth.
- Treatment
- rhizobacterial monoculturee0
- Interactor
- rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- per plant (shoot and root) growthe0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“some rhizobacterial monoculture and mixture treatments improved per plant (shoot and root) growth and nutrient assimilation as well”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Some rhizobacterial mixtures improved per-plant shoot and root growth.
- Treatment
- mixture treatmentse0
- Interactor
- rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- per plant (shoot and root) growthe0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“some rhizobacterial monoculture and mixture treatments improved per plant (shoot and root) growth and nutrient assimilation as well”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Some rhizobacterial monocultures improved plant nutrient assimilation.
- Treatment
- rhizobacterial monoculturee0
- Interactor
- rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- nutrient assimilatione0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“some rhizobacterial monoculture and mixture treatments improved per plant (shoot and root) growth and nutrient assimilation as well”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Some rhizobacterial mixtures improved plant nutrient assimilation.
- Treatment
- mixture treatmentse0
- Interactor
- rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- nutrient assimilatione0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“some rhizobacterial monoculture and mixture treatments improved per plant (shoot and root) growth and nutrient assimilation as well”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher plant-associated rhizobacterial diversity was associated with mostly lower soil nutrient contents.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Soil nutrient contents were mostly lower at higher plant-associated rhizobacterial diversity”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Soil Zn declined significantly along the rhizobacterial diversity gradient.
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the soil Zn contents decreased significantly across the rhizobacterial diversity gradient”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobacterial diversity promoted synergistic interactions among soil nutrients.
- Treatment
- Rhizobacterial diversitye0
- Interactor
- Rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- synergistic interactions among soil nutrientse0
- Direction
- promotede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rhizobacterial diversity promoted synergistic interactions among soil nutrients”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobacterial diversity improved root-soil interactions.
- Treatment
- Rhizobacterial diversitye0
- Interactor
- Rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- root-soil interactionse0
- Direction
- improvede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Rhizobacterial diversity promoted synergistic interactions among soil nutrients and improved root-soil interactions”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
Claim · model-written summary
Higher rhizobacterial diversity may enhance soil-plant interactions and total productivity under resource-limited conditions.
- Interactor
- rhizobacteriale0symbiont
- Outcome
- soil-plant interactions and total productivitye0
- Qualifier
- under resource limited conditionse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“a higher rhizobacterial diversity may enhance soil-plant interactions and total productivity under resource limited conditions”
e1“sorghum (Sorghum bicolor L.)”
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See all 8 papers →Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.