Abstract
The rapidly growing industry of crop biostimulants leverages the application of plant growth promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) to promote plant growth and health. However, introducing nonnative rhizobacteria may impact other aspects of ecosystem functioning and have legacy effects; these potential consequences are largely unexplored. Nontarget consequences of PGPR may include changes in resident microbiomes, nutrient cycling, pollinator services, functioning of other herbivores, disease suppression, and organic matter persistence. Importantly, we lack knowledge of whether these ecosystem effects may manifest in adjacent ecosystems. The introduced PGPR can leave a functional legacy whether they persist in the community or not. Legacy effects include shifts in resident microbiomes and their temporal dynamics, horizontal transfer of genes from the PGPR to resident taxa, and changes in resident functional groups and interaction networks. Ecosystem functions may be affected by legacies PGPR leave following niche construction, such as when PGPR alter soil pH that in turn alters biogeochemical cycling rates. Here, we highlight new research directions to elucidate how introduced PGPR impact resident microbiomes and ecosystem functions and their capacity for legacy effects.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 1914-1918 |
| Number of pages | 5 |
| Journal | New Phytologist |
| Volume | 234 |
| Issue number | 6 |
| DOIs |
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| State | Published - Jun 2022 |
Funding
This work has been funded by the Genomic Science Program of the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) as part of the Secure Ecosystems Engineering and Design research program in the Secure Biosystems Design Scientific Focus Area (SFA). Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT‐Battelle, LLC for the US Department of Energy under Contract Number DE‐AC05‐00OR22725. The authors are grateful for feedback from the Secure Ecosystem Engineering and Design Science Focus Area group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The authors kindly thank Andrew Sproles, Creative Services, Communications Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for producing the graphic in Fig. 1 . This work has been funded by the Genomic Science Program of the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Biological and Environmental Research (BER) as part of the Secure Ecosystems Engineering and Design research program in the Secure Biosystems Design Scientific Focus Area (SFA). Oak Ridge National Laboratory is managed by UT-Battelle, LLC for the US Department of Energy under Contract Number DE-AC05-00OR22725. The authors are grateful for feedback from the Secure Ecosystem Engineering and Design Science Focus Area group at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. The authors kindly thank Andrew Sproles, Creative Services, Communications Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, for producing the graphic in Fig. 1.
Keywords
- agroecology
- biostimulant
- invasion ecology
- microbiome
- plant growth promoting bacteria
- plant–microbe interactions
