In this study, we investigated the effect of positively and negatively charged Fe₃O₄ and TiO₂ nanoparticles (NPs) on the growth of soybean plants (Glycine max.) and their root associated soil microbes. Soybean plants were grown in a greenhouse for six weeks after application of different amounts of NPs, and plant growth and nutrient content were examined. Roots were analyzed for colonization by...

The effects of C02 elevation on the dynamics of fine root (FR) mass and ectomycorrhizal (EM) mass and colonization were studied in situ in a Florida scrub oak system over four years of postfire regeneration. Soil cores were taken at five dates and sorted to assess the standing crop of ectomycorrhizal and fine roots. We used ingrowth bags to estimate the effects of elevated C02 on production of ...

Nostoc is widely known for its ability to fix atmospheric nitrogen and the establishment of symbiotic relationship with a wide range of plants from various taxonomic groups. Several strains of Nostoc produce phytohormones that promote growth of its plant partners. Nostoc OS-1 was therefore selected for study because of the presence of putative ipdC gene that encodes a key enzyme to produce Indo...

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens ssp. plantarum FZB42 represents the prototype of Gram-positive plant growth promoting and biocontrol bacteria. In this study, we applied transposon mutagenesis to generate a transposon library, which was screened for genes involved in multicellular behavior and biofilm formation on roots as a prerequisite of plant growth promoting activity. Transposon insertion sites ...

Interactions between above- and belowground herbivores have been prominent in the field of aboveground-belowground ecology from the outset, although little is known about how climate change affects these organisms when they share the same plant. Additionally, the interactive effects of multiple factors associated with climate change such as elevated temperature (eT) and elevated atmospheric car...

We investigated the effect of elevated CO # on the growth and mycorrhizal colonization of three tree species native to north-eastern American forests (Betula papyrifera Marsh., Pinus strobus L. and Tsuga canadensis L. Carr). Saplings of the tree species were collected from Harvard Forest, Massachusetts, and grown in forest soil under ambient (c. 375 ppm) and elevated (700 ppm) atmospheric CO # ...

Herbaceous plant species are important components of forest ecosystems, and their persistence in forests may be affected by invasive plant species that reduce mycorrhizal colonization of plant roots. I examined the effect of the invasive plant Alliaria petiolata on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) colonizing the roots of three forest plant species. AMF root colonization and community structur...

• Root hydraulic conductance (K r ) was measured for five understory shrub species of the neotropical moist forest to determine the effects of arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) for both carbon-rich and carbon-limited host plants. • K r was measured using a high pressure flow meter (HPFM) for potted plants grown in a factorial combination of AM fungi (presence/absence) and light (3.5 and 30% of full s...