RT Journal Article
T1 The Interplay of Light and Microbial Symbiosis in Shaping Plant Economic Spectrum Strategies
A1 De Lara-Del Rey, Irene Ariadna
A1 Pérez-Fernández, María
A1 Magadlela, Anathi
K1 Plant Economic Spectrum
K1 Legumes
K1 Rhizobia
K1 Inoculation
K1 Light availability
K1 Nitrogen fixation
K1 Microbial diversity
AB Legume-rhizobia symbiosis are fundamental drivers of nitrogen cycling and plant performance, yet their role in facilitatingspecies strategies along the Plant Economic Spectrum (PES) remains insufficiently understood. We conducted a fieldexperiment with four legume species subjected to light and shade treatments, with and without rhizobial inoculation, toassess plant survival, biomass accumulation, nodulation, nitrogen acquisition, and isotopic signatures, alongside microbialcommunity diversity and shifts in vegetation composition. Results demonstrate that inoculation significantly enhancedsurvival, growth rates, nitrogen accumulation, and nodulation across species, particularly under light conditions, indicatingthat microbial symbiosis promotes acquisitive strategies within the PES framework. Contrary, shaded environmentsconsistently favoured higher survival and root allocation but reduced growth, nodulation, and nitrogen fixation, reflectingmore conservative resource-use strategies. Species-specific responses revealed differential PES positioning: Trifoliumrepens L. exhibited high acquisitive capacity under light, while Coronilla juncea L. showed poor survival and growthunder both conditions, highlighting the interaction between phylogenetic identity and resource availability. Additionally,δ¹⁵N and %Ndfa values confirmed that inoculation increased nitrogen fixation efficiency, whereas microbial diversity analysesindicated strong shifts in soil bacterial communities associated with inoculated plants, suggesting feedback betweensymbiosis and soil microbiota. These findings support two main hypotheses: (i) rhizobial inoculation acts as a biotic driverpromoting acquisitive strategies by enhancing resource acquisition and growth efficiency, and (ii) light availability servesas an abiotic axis that modulates species positions along the PES continuum. Together, our study provides novel evidencethat both microbial interactions and resource availability jointly determine legume strategies within the PES.
PB Springer
YR 2026
FD 2026-05-08
LK https://hdl.handle.net/10433/27252
UL https://hdl.handle.net/10433/27252
LA en
NO De Lara-Del Rey IA, Pérez-Fernández M, Magadlela A. The Interplay of Light and Microbial Symbiosis in Shaping Plant Economic Spectrum Strategies. Microb Ecol. 2026 89(1):139.
NO Resultados de un estudio de campo con 4 leguminosas, dos niveles de lus y dos niveles de incoculación.
NO Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Sistemas Físicos, Químicos y Naturales
DS RIO
RD Aug 5, 2026