Lecture 12: Plant-Microbes Flashcards
How do microbes interact with plant roots?
- Enter root cells and act symbiotically or pathogenically
- Microbes are affected by plant root changes in the physical and chemical properties of the soil
What is the above ground portion of a plant called?
Phyllosphere
What is the rhizosphere?
The region of soil directly impacted by plant roots
Define endorhizosphere, rhizoplane, ectorhizosphere, and the rhizosphere effect.
- Endorhizosphere: epidermal and cortical cells
- Rhizoplane: colonization of the root surface
- Ectorhizosphere: soil surrounding the root surface
- Rhizosphere effect: 100x more microbes in that area
What is rhizodeposition?
Release of organics from roots
What is root exudate?
Organic compounds that improve growth
In what stage of plant development might bacterial colonization be established?
Bacteria will spread along the root as it growth downward and laterally before germination
What role does chemotaxis have in bacterial colonization of plant roots?
What are the the benefits for plants in microbe-root associations?
- Nutrient recycling
- Vitamins, amino acids
- Hormones
- Exclusion of pathogens
- Exclusion of other plants by allelopathic substances
The R/S ratio is an indicator of _____.
soil health
What can you say about species evenness?
- Dry soils: able to host even distribution of species, including rare species
- Why rare species? Dry environments are hard to survive in, so might foster growth of extremophiles, etc.
What gas makes water acidic?
CO2
Who respires in the rhizosphere?
What is ethylene?
A microbially produced plant growth regulator
- Low levels beneficial
- High concentrations inhibitory
What are precursors to ethylene?
- Sugars
- Alcohols
- Organic acids
- Amino acids