The microbiome of climate change induced range-expanding plants. Rhizosphere fungal communities of range-expanding plants

Plant range-expansion is occurring at a rapid pace, largely in response to human-induced climate warming. While the movement of plants is well documented, their interactions with belowground microorganisms, which may influence the success of plant species in their new habitats, remains largely unknown. Here we used a latitudinal gradient to examine bacterial and fungal communities in the rhizosphere and soils of range-expanding plant species. We selected range-expanders with and without congeneric natives in the new range, and as a control, the congeneric natives, totaling 382 plant individuals collected across Europe. When taken together, our results suggest that the relatedness of range-expanding plants with the native community should be considered when assessing the effects of range-expansion on ecosystems.

植物分布范围扩张正以迅猛的速度发生，这在很大程度上是对人类活动引发的气候变暖的响应。尽管植物的分布迁移已有充分的文献记载，但它们与地下微生物的相互作用尚不明晰，而这类相互作用可能会影响植物物种在新栖息地的定植成功率。本研究借助纬度梯度，对分布范围扩张的植物物种的根际（rhizosphere）及周边土壤中的细菌与真菌群落展开了调查。我们选取了在新分布范围内存在同属本地种、不存在同属本地种的扩张物种，并以同属本地种作为对照，共计采集了横跨欧洲的382株植物个体。综合来看，本研究结果表明，在评估分布范围扩张对生态系统的影响时，应考量扩张植物与本地群落的亲缘关系。