OOS 3: Plant-Microbe Interactions in Wetland Ecosystems: Challenges Under Increasing Environmental Pressures

Session Organizer(s)

• Candice Lumibao

  University of Tennessee
  Knoxville, TN, USA

Moderator(s)

• Demetra Kandalepas

  Biological Sciences
  Southeastern Louisiana University

Volunteer(s)

• Brianne Palmer

  Plant Science, University of California, Davis
  San Diego, California, United States

Interactions between plants and microbes significantly impact ecosystem function and stability. In wetland ecosystems, the dynamics of these plant-microbe associations can determine not only the response of both plants and microbes to each other, but also the resiliency of ecosystems as a whole in response to environmental pressures. Yet, little is known about the forces that drive the dynamics of these interactions. While plants and microbes have been shown to be key players in wetland ecosystems individually, associations between plants and microbes have largely been overlooked until recent years. Emerging studies indicate that microbial communities (fungi, bacteria, archaea, and viruses) that form specific associations with wetland plants – from endosphere to rhizosphere and phyllosphere – can influence plant fitness, performance, and growth. On the other hand, plants also exert influence on these microbial communities, for example, via exudates, shaping their diversity, composition, and distribution. This, in turn, can feedback into plants and, ultimately influencing ecosystem processes. The dynamics of these interactions can vary among plant species (and whether they are native or non-native), across habitats, and within local environments. Despite what is known about the far-reaching impacts of plant-microbe interactions in upland habitats, we are only beginning to understand how these plant-microbe interactions can impact wetland ecosystem function. This session aims to bring together studies on plant-microbe interactions across differing wetland types and among plant species. These studies represent a wide breadth of perspectives. Topics that are explored here include, but are not limited to: (1) how microbial communities can boost or hinder plant performance under stress, (2) how plant communities exert control over the microbial communities in a feedback process, and (3) how plant-microbe interactions can be harnessed as potential solution for dealing with biological stressors (e.g., non-native/invasive species) or even environmental pressures, such a climate change.

Presentations:

• ON DEMAND

  Context-dependency in soil microbial mediation of Schoenoplectus americanus response to salinity stress
  

  Presenting Author: Candice Y. Lumibao – University of Tennessee
• ON DEMAND

  Plant communities exert deterministic control over microbial community structure in coastal wetlands
  

  Presenting Author: Jennifer L. Bowen – Northeastern University
• ON DEMAND

  Sea level rise and the microbial communities of baldcypress
  

  Presenting Author: Sunshine A. Van Bael – Tulane University
• ON DEMAND

  Targeting microbe-plant relationships as a new treatment for non-native Phragmites
  

  Presenting Author: Kurt Kowalski – U.S. Geological Survey
• ON DEMAND

  The dark side of the Phrag: Exploring the role of dark septate endophytes in salinity tolerance of Phragmites australis
  

  Presenting Author: Martina Gonzalez Mateu – Oregon State University