Why do some plants live fast and die young?

An international team led by researchers at the University of Manchester has discovered why some plants "live fast and die young" while others lead a long and healthy life.

The study, published in Progress of science, also helps us understand how plant diversity is maintained. This, in turn, could help improve nature conservation, the restoration of natural habitat and the growth of healthier crops.

It seems that the answer lies beneath our feet in the complex relationships between soil microbes and plant roots. Scientists have long suspected that the key to explaining plant diversity is based on their enemies, including harmful fungi found in the soil. However, studying microbial life in the soil has been notoriously difficult, which has earned it the name of "black box" among scientists.

Using new molecular techniques and existing knowledge about what different fungi are doing in the soil, the researchers found that some plants harbored dozens of different harmful fungi in their roots, while others kept away harmful microbes and attracted many beneficial fungi that improve plant health.

Lead author Dr. Marina Semchenko of the University of Earth Sciences and Environment (SEES) said, "Walking in a blooming meadow, you might wonder why so many different plants grow together and that no single plant dominates.We have found the growth of the plant is strongly controlled by the number of harmful and beneficial fungi attracted to the roots of the plant. "

The researchers also found that the balance between harmful and beneficial fungi depended on the lifestyle of the plants, which helps to understand why some plants live fast but die young, while others grow slowly but have a long life.

Dr. Semchenko explains: "As in the history of the turtle and hare, some plants grow slowly but have a long life by cooperating with beneficial fungi.Others grow fast and have success initially, but they are then destroyed by diseases by harmful fungi ".

As for humans, diet is also important for plant health. Scientists have discovered that nutrient-rich soils can promote the growth of lush vegetation, but also shift the balance between many beneficial fungi and those causing disease.

Richard Bardgett, professor of ecology at the University of Manchester, said: "Although these results come from grbadlands of northern England, it is likely that the same mechanisms occur in d & # 39; 39, other ecosystems of the world, but further tests are needed to confirm this hypothesis. " . "

These results could pave the way for new approaches in agriculture aimed at restoring microbial balance for healthy crop production by shifting this balance towards beneficial rather than harmful microbes in the root zone of plants.

Dr. Semchenko added, "Soil microbes are very sensitive to human interference such as intensive agriculture and our results suggest that negative impacts on soil microbes could have implications for the conservation of plant diversity. "

The study was coordinated by the University of Manchester and involved the collaboration of nine institutions, including the universities of Colorado, Tartu, Berlin, Edinburgh and Lancaster.

Explore further:
Plants depend on their resident bacteria to protect them from harmful microbes

More information:
M. Semchenko et al., "Fungal diversity regulates plant-soil feedbacks in temperate grbadlands" Progress of science (2018). advance.sciencemag.org/content/4/11/eaau4578