Enhanced climate tolerance for trees derived from microbial communities

Changing climates are pushing species outside of their evolved tolerances; populations must acclimate or adapt to the new conditions or migrate to avoid extinction. However, because plants associate with diverse microbial communities that shape their phenotype, shifts in microbial associations may provide an alternative source of novel climate tolerance. Here we show that tree seedlings inoculated with microbial communities sourced from drier, warmer, or colder sites displayed higher survival when facing drought, heat, or cold stress, respectively. Microbially mediated drought tolerance was associated with increased diversity of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, while cold tolerance was related to reduced diversity of non-adapted taxa. Understanding microbially mediated climate tolerance may enhance our ability to predict and manage the adaptability of forest ecosystems to changing climates.

Methods
See related article for methodological details.

不断变化的气候正将物种推离其演化形成的耐受限度；种群需通过驯化、适应新环境，或是迁徙以避免灭绝。然而，由于植物与调控自身表型的多样微生物群落存在共生关联，微生物群落关联的改变或许能为物种获得新型气候耐受能力提供另一途径。本研究显示，接种取自更干旱、更温暖或更寒冷生境的微生物群落的林木幼苗，在分别遭遇干旱、高温或低温胁迫时，存活率更高。微生物介导的干旱耐受能力与丛枝菌根真菌（arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi）多样性升高相关，而低温耐受能力则与非适配类群的多样性降低有关。阐明微生物介导的气候耐受机制，或可提升我们预测并管理森林生态系统应对气候变化的适应能力的水平。

方法
详见相关论文的方法学细节。