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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Plant Sci.
Sec. Functional Plant Ecology
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpls.2024.1488383
This article is part of the Research Topic Flourishing in Arid Realms: Exploring the Adaptation of Plant Functional Traits to Drought Environments View all 16 articles

Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Colonization Defines Root Ecological Strategies in an Extreme Arid Environment

Provisionally accepted
Cristian Andrés Delpiano Cristian Andrés Delpiano 1,2*Rodrigo S Rios Rodrigo S Rios 1,2,3Claudia E Barraza-Zepeda Claudia E Barraza-Zepeda 4Melissa J Pozo Melissa J Pozo 4Lorgio E Aguilera Lorgio E Aguilera 4Andrea Patricia Loayza Andrea Patricia Loayza 1,2,3
  • 1 Laboratorio de Ecología del Desierto, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
  • 2 Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad, Santiago, Santiago Metropolitan Region (RM), Chile
  • 3 Instituto Multidisciplinario de Investigación y Postgrado, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile
  • 4 Departamento de Biología, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    The symbiosis between mycorrhizae and plant roots is essential for plant establishment in nearly all terrestrial ecosystems. However, the role of mycorrhizal colonization (colM) in shaping root ecological strategies remains poorly understood. Emerging research identifies colM as a key trait influencing the multidimensional covariation of root traits within the Root Economic Space (RES), where a 'collaboration gradient' is proposed. At one end of this gradient, species with larger root diameters (RD) rely on colM for resource acquisition through an 'outsourcing' strategy, while at the other end, species with finer roots and greater exploration capacity employ a 'do it yourself' strategy to acquire resources independently. Although the RES framework has improved our understanding of root strategies, the relationship between colM and root traits in desert ecosystems remains underexplored, particularly in hyper-arid environments, where limited resources can constrain both plant and mycorrhizal survival. In this study, we examine the root ecological strategies of 32 dominant shrub species in Chile's Coastal Atacama Desert, focusing on the link between specific root traits and colM. We found that larger RD correlated with higher levels of colM, supporting the 'outsourcing' strategy within the 'collaboration gradient' hypothesis of the RES. Additionally, RD and colM emerged as playing key roles in defining both dimensions of root ecological strategies. Moreover, we identified colM as a central hub trait in the root phenotypic network, underscoring its role in survival strategies under hyper-arid conditions. These findings emphasize the critical importance of colM in modulating plant ecological strategies and highlight the need to further investigate how AM enhances root lifespan and optimizes resource uptake in extreme environments.

    Keywords: Coastal Atacama Desert, Hyper-aridity, fine roots traits, Mycorrhizal symbiosis, root economic space, root phenotypic network, desert shrubs

    Received: 29 Aug 2024; Accepted: 09 Dec 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Delpiano, Rios, Barraza-Zepeda, Pozo, Aguilera and Loayza. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Cristian Andrés Delpiano, Laboratorio de Ecología del Desierto, Departamento de Biología, Universidad de La Serena, La Serena, Chile

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.