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Arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi reduce growth and infect roots of the non‐host plant A rabidopsis thaliana
Author(s) -
VEIGA RITA S. L.,
FACCIO ANTONELLA,
GENRE ANDREA,
PIETERSE CORNÉ M. J.,
BONFANTE PAOLA,
HEIJDEN MARCEL G. A.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
plant, cell and environment
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.646
H-Index - 200
eISSN - 1365-3040
pISSN - 0140-7791
DOI - 10.1111/pce.12102
Subject(s) - symbiosis , biology , fungus , botany , arabidopsis thaliana , arbuscular mycorrhizal , rhizophagus irregularis , mycorrhiza , host (biology) , organism , arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi , inoculation , ecology , bacteria , horticulture , genetics , gene , mutant
The arbuscular mycorrhizal ( AM ) symbiosis is widespread throughout the plant kingdom but most terrestrial ecosystems also contain a considerable number of non‐mycorrhizal plants. The interaction of such non‐host plants with AM fungi is still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated whether the non‐mycorrhizal plant A rabidopsis thaliana , the model organism for plant molecular biology and genetics , interacts with AM fungi. We demonstrate, for the first time, that the presence of fungal networks formed by the AM fungus R hizophagus irregularis reduces A . thaliana growth by 50% or more. In addition, by using bright field, confocal and electronic microscopy we show that this fungus can colonize roots of A . thaliana , although arbuscules were never observed. These results reveal high susceptibility of A . thaliana to R . irregularis , suggesting that A . thaliana is a suitable model plant to study non‐host/ AM fungi interactions and the biological basis of AM incompatibility. Commentary: Interactions between arbuscular mycorrhizal and non‐mycorrhizal plants: do non‐mycorrhizal species at both extremes of nutrient‐availability play the same game?