Root and Rhizosphere Processes under Drought: Digging Deeper to Enhance Ecosystem Resilience

Global ecosystems face severe challenges from climate change, environmental pollution, and intensive farming. Among these challenges, frequent intense drought presents a significant threat to plants in both natural managed ecosystems. Roots the rhizosphere, including countless microorganisms, can shape plant responses hence ecosystem health resilience. This ESA symposium focused on how root traits rhizosphere microbiomes respond diverse More profound knowledge of vital connections between processes under stress help us formulate sustainable management practices impart resilience plants. Forests are essential sustaining life earth as they contribute many services, soil carbon sequestration. Fine roots trees associated mycorrhizae which majority exhibit high level plasticity drought. The different talks this examined recent advances morphological, physiological, chemical drought, is indispensable for health. also impact changes plant–fungal interactions. highlighted importance phenotypes that mitigate grasses harnessing microbiome agroecosystems. speakers represented wider disciplines, ecology, physiology, microbiology. Vidya Suseela Clemson University, USA, effect fine tolerance trees. environment stress-induced morphological physiological often accompanied by plasticity, includes quantity, composition, localization heteropolymers such lignins, tannins, suberin. These have biological activity green senesced tissues composition (e.g., identity number monomer units, linkages connecting monomers) regulates much than their quantity. Environmental alter within three-dimensional matrix with implications important functions (Suseela et al. 2017, Tharayil 2018). chemistry decomposition recycles nutrients tissues, thus facilitating productivity has plant-mycorrhizal symbiotic associations. (diameter ≤2 mm) adapt through morphology relatively well studied. However, less known. In white oak (Quercus alba), altered quantity tannins 2020). Under conditions, had lower content ellagitannins. Since ellagitannins antimicrobial properties, indicates an adaptive response promote ectomycorrhizal association. construct vary type extent mycorrhizal association (Xia 2021, Kaur 2022). Drought did not lignin while varied across orders. Despite distal order roots, better protected against due higher guaiacyl bound phenolics integrate lignocellulosic Overall, orders, association, reponse indicated strategy maximize resource uptake concurrenlty adapting stress. talk briefly analysis techniques, sequential extraction followed gas/liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry estimate biologically relevant fractions Alex Williams University Sheffield, UK, spoke about His first role exudates discussion description techniques available collecting analyzing constituents exudates. He then described work undertaken at Manchester, collaboration Prof. Franciska de Vries, where exudation was studied 15 grassland species functional groups found be strongly nutrient outsourcing microbial collaborators. With more detailed analysis, he determined there were functional-group species-level differences exudate profile, indicating niche specificity exuded metabolites likely occurring (Williams Considering root-exudate expression during species-specific, informs community turn tailors resistance active strategies overcome fitness. concluded his highlighting potential leveraging generate healthier drought-resilient soils Cheng Gao, Institute Microbiology, Chinese Academy Sciences, presented fungal bacterial Due increasing demand but decreasing supply water resources, becoming one most factors limiting sustainability our planet, causing cascading global crisis. realized niches largely defined microbiome, together, form holobiont responds adapts perturbation. Recently, researchers roles crop production. advocates developing unified framework begins Vellend’s four basic assembly (selection, dispersal, diversification, drift; Vellend 2010) integrates several frameworks been proposed stress, Resistance-Resilience-Redundant (RRR) explicitly decomposes components stability (Allison Martiny 2008); Competitor-Stress-tolerator-Ruderal (CSR) Yield-resource Acquisition-Stress (YAS) focus tradeoff disturbance (Grime 1974, Malik 2020); Stress-Gradient hypothesis (SGH) examines biotic interaction (Bertness Callaway 1994), Cry-For-Help (CRH) model focuses host its (Rolfe 2019). modern agriculture may fostered integrating multi-Omics approach, advanced ecological theory, informatics technology. Finally, using EPICON project (https://phytozome-next.jgi.doe.gov/epicon/) example, progress understanding sorghum emerged collaboratively investigating mycobiome, meta-genome meta-transcriptome, transcriptome metabolome (Xu 2018, 2021a, b, Gao 2019, 2020, 2022, Zhou Hannah Schneider Wageningen topic phenotypic improvement. Phenotypic widespread phenomenon strategic capture water. She conducted genome-wide mapping large maize panel grown field without deficit. Specifically, she examples anatomical architectural metaxylem number, cortical aerenchyma, stele diameter, multiseriate sclerenchyma, angle, lateral branching density length (Schneider 2020a, 2021). reported genetic control highly quantitative, loci plastic distinct controlling trait non-stress. deeper rooting, yield stability, greater performance. value depended spatial temporal distribution soil. Understanding will provide array tools understand enhanced productivity. live involved conversations salient features imparting answering questions audience, members, moderator. An revisited related research utilizing tolerance. agreed manipulating component along other could targets breeding. discussed inoculating entire vs. single Inoculating ideal inoculation. level, inoculation pose unique need further evaluated. Another approach utilize select drought-tolerant There possibility endosphere microbiome. lack persistence over growth period plant. point centered around complexity trait-specific characteristic various interact conditions scales affects performance abiotic Further, influence trophic processes. For defense pests pathogens. complex, unravel harness them VS supported National Science Foundation Grant DEB-1754679. CG Natural China (32170129). No data collected review.