Plant Hosts Modify Belowground Microbial Community Response to Extreme Drought
Allison M. Veach, Huaihai Chen, Zamin K. Yang, Audrey Labbé, Nancy L. Engle, Timothy J. Tschaplinski, Christopher W. Schadt, Melissa A. Cregger
Abstract
Climate change causes significant alterations in precipitation and temperature regimes that are predicted to become more extreme throughout the next century. Microorganisms are important members within ecosystems, and how they respond to these changing abiotic stressors has large implications for the functioning of ecosystems, the recycling of nutrients, and the health of the aboveground plant community. Drought stress negatively impacts microbial activity, but the magnitude of this stress response may be dependent on above- and belowground interactions. This study demonstrates that beneficial associations between plants and microbes can enhance tolerance to abiotic stress.