Genetic variation in the response of the weed Ruellia nudiflora (Acanthaceae) to arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi

The main goal of this work was to test for plant genetic variation in the phenotypic plasticity response of the weed Ruellia nudiflora to arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation. We collected plants in the field, kept them under homogeneous conditions inside a nursery, and then collected seeds...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Mycorrhiza 2010-04, Vol.20 (4), p.275-280
Main Authors: Ramos-Zapata, José Alberto, Campos-Navarrete, María José, Parra-Tabla, Víctor, Abdala-Roberts, Luis, Navarro-Alberto, Jorge
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acanthaceae - growth & development
Acanthaceae - microbiology
Acanthaceae - physiology
Agriculture
Biomedical and Life Sciences
Ecology
Experimental design
Forestry
Fungi - growth & development
Genetic diversity
Genetic Variation
Genotypes
Leaves
Life Sciences
Microbiology
Mycorrhizae - growth & development
Plant Leaves - growth & development
Plant Sciences
Short Note
Stress, Physiological
Survival Analysis
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Summary:The main goal of this work was to test for plant genetic variation in the phenotypic plasticity response of the weed Ruellia nudiflora to arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi inoculation. We collected plants in the field, kept them under homogeneous conditions inside a nursery, and then collected seeds from these parent plants to generate five inbred lines (i.e., genetic families). Half of the plants of each inbred line were inoculated with AM fungi while the other half were not (controls); a fully crossed experimental design was then used to test for the effects of treatment (with or without AM fungi inoculation) and inbred line (genetic family). For each plant, we recorded the number of leaves produced and the number of days it survived during a 2-month period. Results showed a strong positive treatment effect (plastic response to AM fungi inoculation) for leaf production and survival. Moreover, in terms of survival, the treatment effect differed between genetic families (significant genetic family by treatment interaction). These findings indicate that the positive effect of AM fungi on plant survival (and potentially also growth) differs across plant genotypes and that such condition may contribute to R. nudiflora's capacity to colonize new environments.
ISSN:0940-6360
1432-1890
DOI:10.1007/s00572-009-0282-x