Rhizosphere carbon priming: a plant mechanism to enhance soil nitrogen accessibility?

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Abstract

Aims

Soil priming affects soil N transformation and plant N availability, but few studies have investigated these interactions to date.

Methods

To address this, we reviewed the literature for studies quantifying soil priming, soil N transformation and plant N uptake.

Results

Gross N mineralization was strongly controlled by soil priming in studies with plants, while abiotic factors had a minor influence on gross N mineralization. In contrast, soil priming was negatively related to gross N mineralization and had a low explanatory power in incubation studies where substrates are added as surrogates for root exudates. These results indicate that plants support increased N mineralization and that this is not adequately reflected in incubation studies. Additionally, we observed a positive relationship between soil priming and the % of N _org-derived N uptake as well as total N uptake, which demonstrates that priming enhances the availability of N that was previously organically bound and that at least part of the N mineralized during priming was available for plant uptake.

Conclusion

Our results show that the effect of roots and rhizodeposition leads to a number of processes supporting N mineralization and availability through priming that are not well reflected in incubation studies. To fully capture the interactions between plant roots and their associated microbiota, we recommend focusing research on systems with plants. Additionally, the strong correlation between C and N transformation should be considered in biogeochemical modelling.

Related collections

Most cited references 39

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Going back to the roots: the microbial ecology of the rhizosphere.

Laurent Philippot, Jos M. Raaijmakers, Philippe Lemanceau … (2013)

The rhizosphere is the interface between plant roots and soil where interactions among a myriad of microorganisms and invertebrates affect biogeochemical cycling, plant growth and tolerance to biotic and abiotic stress. The rhizosphere is intriguingly complex and dynamic, and understanding its ecology and evolution is key to enhancing plant productivity and ecosystem functioning. Novel insights into key factors and evolutionary processes shaping the rhizosphere microbiome will greatly benefit from integrating reductionist and systems-based approaches in both agricultural and natural ecosystems. Here, we discuss recent developments in rhizosphere research in relation to assessing the contribution of the micro- and macroflora to sustainable agriculture, nature conservation, the development of bio-energy crops and the mitigation of climate change.