Soil origin impacts Acacia longifolia above and belowground development: water and nutrition as players
Carolina Sampaio A , Sara Vicente
A B C , Marília Antunes D E , Cristina Máguas A C and Helena Trindade A C *
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Departamento de Biologia Vegetal, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Campo Grande, Lisboa 1749-016, Portugal.
B CESAM – Centro de Estudos do Ambiente e do Mar, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa 1749-016, Portugal.
C cE3c – Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes & CHANGE - Global Change and Sustainability Institute, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa 1749-016, Portugal.
D Departamento de Estatística e Investigação Operacional, Universidade de Lisboa, Faculdade de Ciências, Campo Grande, Lisboa 1749-016, Portugal.
E CEAUL – Centro de Estatística e Aplicações, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, Lisboa 1749-016, Portugal.
Soil Research 61(5) 510-522 https://doi.org/10.1071/SR22109
Submitted: 10 May 2022 Accepted: 30 January 2023 Published: 21 February 2023
© 2023 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing
Abstract
Context: Acacia longifolia is an aggressive invader, disrupting habitats and communities worldwide. Understanding what drives its expansion is of paramount importance. Key functional traits include fast growth and the presence of bacterial symbionts performing nitrogen fixation.
Aims: To address early plant development of A. longifolia under different soils and growth conditions (water and nutrition availability), establishing the key factors that influence above and belowground responses.
Methods: Plants were grown in pots with soils collected from forest, agricultural and dune areas in relative proximity, in a controlled experiment designed to study water effect and nutrient availability on early growth. Growth parameters included shoot and root length, nodule number and weight. Bacteria were isolated from nodules for genetic diversity evaluation. Photosynthetic pigments and isotopic nitrogen and carbon analyses were performed to address nitrogen fixation and photosynthesis.
Key results: Soil origin influenced plant growth and bacterial diversity. Largest plant development was achieved in forest soils with added nutrition and water. Plants from agricultural soil displayed higher aboveground development; however, belowground nodule number and bacterial biodiversity decreased, possibly due to anthropogenic activities. Forest soil promoted belowground development and bacterial diversity. In dune soils overall growth was lower and nitrogen fixation was higher.
Conclusion: Abiotic factors influenced juvenile acacia development; nutrition acts as a growth enhancer, and soil origin, including its microbial communities, can be considered a development modulator. Bacterial diversity varied according to soil type.
Implications: Several above and belowground interactions showed the need for an integrative perspective to understand acacias invasive potential.
Keywords: abiotic factors, aboveground interactions, Acacia longifolia, belowground interactions, nitrogen fixation, nodulation, plant–soil feedbacks, wattles.
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