New Phytologist最新文献

{"title":"Decades-old carbon reserves are widespread among tree species, constrained only by sapwood longevity","authors":"Drew M. P. Peltier, Mariah S. Carbone, Kiona Ogle, George W. Koch, Andrew D. Richardson","doi":"10.1111/nph.20310","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20310","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000</p><ul>\u0000<li>Carbon reserves are distributed throughout plant cells allowing past photosynthesis to fuel current metabolism. In trees, comparing the radiocarbon (Δ¹⁴C) of reserves to the atmospheric bomb spike can trace reserve ages.</li>\u0000<li>We synthesized Δ¹⁴C observations of stem reserves in nine tree species, fitting a new process model of reserve building. We asked how the distribution, mixing, and turnover of reserves vary across trees and species. We also explored how stress (drought and aridity) and disturbance (fire and bark beetles) perturb reserves.</li>\u0000<li>Given sufficient sapwood, young (&lt; 1 yr) and old (20–60+ yr) reserves were simultaneously present in single trees, including ‘prebomb’ reserves in two conifers. The process model suggested that most reserves are deeply mixed (30.2 ± 21.7 rings) and then respired (2.7 ± 3.5-yr turnover time). Disturbance strongly increased Δ¹⁴C mean ages of reserves (+15–35 yr), while drought and aridity effects on mixing and turnover were species-dependent. Fire recovery in <i>Sequoia sempervirens</i> also appears to involve previously unobserved outward mixing of old reserves.</li>\u0000<li>Deep mixing and rapid turnover indicate most photosynthate is rapidly metabolized. Yet ecological variation in reserve ages is enormous, perhaps driven by stress and disturbance. Across species, maximum reserve ages appear primarily constrained by sapwood longevity, and thus old reserves are probably widespread.</li>\u0000</ul><p></p>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"195 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763469","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"The antisense CircRNA VvcircABH controls salt tolerance and the brassinosteroid signaling response by suppressing cognate mRNA splicing in grape","authors":"Zhen Gao, Yifan Su, Yaru Wang, Yeqi Li, Yue Wu, Xinru Sun, Yuxin Yao, Chao Ma, Jing Li, Yuanpeng Du","doi":"10.1111/nph.20306","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20306","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000</p><ul>\u0000<li>Soil salinization is a major factor limiting the sustainable development of the grape industry. Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are more stable than linear mRNAs and are involved in stress responses. However, the biological functions and molecular mechanisms underlying antisense circRNAs in plants remain unclear.</li>\u0000<li>We identified the antisense circRNA <i>VvcircABH</i> through high-throughput sequencing. Using genetic transformation methods and molecular biological techniques, we analyzed the effects of <i>VvcircABH</i> on the response to salt stress and the mechanisms underlying its effects.</li>\u0000<li><i>VvcircABH</i> was located in the nucleus and upregulated by salt stress, while the expression level of its cognate gene <i>VvABH</i> (alpha/beta-hydrolase) was downregulated. <i>VvcircABH</i> overexpression or <i>VvABH</i> silencing greatly enhanced grape salt tolerance. <i>VvcircABH</i> could bind to the overlapping region and inhibits <i>VvABH</i> pre-mRNA splicing, thereby decreasing the expression level of <i>VvABH</i>. Additionally, <i>VvcircABH</i> repressed the additive effect of VvABH on the interaction between VvBRI1 (brassinosteroid-insensitive 1) and VvBKI1 (BRI1 kinase inhibitor 1), thus influencing the plant's response to BR, which plays important roles in plant salt tolerance.</li>\u0000<li>We conclude that <i>VvcircABH</i> and <i>VvABH</i> play distinct roles in the salt tolerance and brassinosteroid signaling response, and <i>VvcircABH</i> could govern the expression of <i>VvABH</i> by inhibiting its splicing.</li>\u0000</ul><p></p>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"59 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142763269","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Climb forest, climb: diverse disperser communities are key to assist plants tracking climate change on altitudinal gradients","authors":"Sara Beatriz Mendes, Manuel Nogales, Pablo Vargas, Jens M. Olesen, Patrícia Marrero, Javier Romero, Beatriz Rumeu, Aarón González-Castro, Ruben Heleno","doi":"10.1111/nph.20300","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20300","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;h2&gt; Introduction&lt;/h2&gt;\u0000&lt;p&gt;Anthropogenic climate change poses a significant threat to biodiversity, with its impacts expected to intensify in the coming decades (Thomas &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2004&lt;/span&gt;; Urban, &lt;span&gt;2015&lt;/span&gt;; IPCC, &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;). The redistribution of regional and global climates is forcing species to shift their ranges to higher altitudes and latitudes to track suitable conditions (Parmesan &amp; Yohe, &lt;span&gt;2003&lt;/span&gt;; Chen &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2011&lt;/span&gt;). Such global redistribution of species is transforming ecosystems, leading to the assemblage of novel communities at unprecedented rates (Lurgi &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2012&lt;/span&gt;; Pecl &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;). In this scenario, species potential to colonise new grounds fast enough to track their shifting climatic envelopes is critical for their long-term survival and for ecosystem resilience (Loarie &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2009&lt;/span&gt;; Perino &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;\u0000&lt;p&gt;Mountains are among the most vulnerable ecosystems to climate change, with climatic envelopes rapidly moving uphill at rates unparalleled by any other ecosystem (Trew &amp; Maclean, &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;; Adler &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;; Knight, &lt;span&gt;2022&lt;/span&gt;). This is particularly alarming given that mountains harbour half of the global biodiversity hotspots and a quarter of all terrestrial biodiversity, including many endemics (Hoorn &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;; Rahbek &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2019&lt;/span&gt;; Perrigo &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2020&lt;/span&gt;). Additionally, uphill colonisation coupled with the reduction in available habitat at higher elevations poses significant challenges to species survival, leading to a disproportionate risk of mountain biodiversity declines (Urban, &lt;span&gt;2018&lt;/span&gt;; Trew &amp; Maclean, &lt;span&gt;2021&lt;/span&gt;).&lt;/p&gt;\u0000&lt;p&gt;Islands share many characteristics with mountains, including high levels of isolation, endemicity and vulnerability to climate change (Flantua &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2020&lt;/span&gt;). Oceanic islands, in particular, are privileged systems to study complex patterns related to community structure and functioning due to their discrete boundaries, relatively simple biota and high abiotic heterogeneity (Whittaker &amp; Fernández-Palacios, &lt;span&gt;2007&lt;/span&gt;; Whittaker &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2017&lt;/span&gt;; Nogales &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;). Tenerife, the highest island in the Canaries archipelago, has an elevation of 3718 m above sea level (asl) and has long been a flagship in biogeography due to the role of altitude in structuring its five vertical vegetation belts (Humboldt &amp; Bonpland, &lt;span&gt;1814&lt;/span&gt;; Renner &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;). In Tenerife, climatic envelopes are moving uphill with higher vegetation belts warming more rapidly (0.14 ± 0.07°C per decade) than lower ones (0.09 ± 0.04°C per decade) (Martín &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2012&lt;/span&gt;; Renner &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2023&lt;/span&gt;; García-Alvarado &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2024&lt;/span&gt;","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"26 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142758582","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Synergistic role of Rubisco inhibitor release and degradation in photosynthesis","authors":"Viviana Pasch, Dario Leister, Thilo Rühle","doi":"10.1111/nph.20317","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20317","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000</p><ul>\u0000<li>Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase (Rubisco) exhibits catalytic promiscuity, resulting in error-prone reactions and the formation of inhibitory sugar phosphates. Specifically, Xylulose-1,5-bisphosphate (XuBP) acts as an inhibitor by binding to the active site of Rubisco, thereby impairing its catalytic function. Thermolabile Rubisco activase (Rca) facilitates the release of such inhibitors, including XuBP, by remodelling Rubisco. In <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>, the phosphatase pair CbbYA and CbbYB subsequently hydrolyses XuBP to prevent its rebinding to Rubisco.</li>\u0000<li>To explore the functional interplay between these components in maintaining photosynthesis, <i>cbbya</i>, <i>cbbyb</i> and <i>cbbyab</i> mutants were crossed with <i>RCA</i> knockdown (<i>rca-2</i>) lines. Additionally, both <i>RCA</i> and <i>CBBYA</i> were overexpressed in wild-type (WT) <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>.</li>\u0000<li>Phenotypic analyses revealed an exacerbation in decreased growth and photosynthetic efficiency in the <i>cbbyab rca-2</i> double mutants compared with the control mutants (<i>cbbyab</i> and <i>rca-2</i>), indicating a negative genetic interaction. Furthermore, the co-overexpression of <i>RCA</i> and <i>CBBYA</i> did not improve photosynthesis under short-term heat stress, and light reactions were adversely affected relative to the WT.</li>\u0000<li>These findings illustrate the synergistic roles of Rca, CbbYA and CbbYB in maintaining carbon fixation and promoting plant growth in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>. Thus, the coordinated regulation of Rca and CbbY enzymes is crucial for optimizing photosynthetic efficiency.</li>\u0000</ul><p></p>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"25 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142760546","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A land plant‐specific VPS13 mediates polarized vesicle trafficking in germinating pollen","authors":"Surachat Tangpranomkorn, Yuka Kimura, Motoko Igarashi, Fumiko Ishizuna, Yoshinobu Kato, Takamasa Suzuki, Takuya Nagae, Sota Fujii, Seiji Takayama","doi":"10.1111/nph.20277","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20277","url":null,"abstract":"Summary<jats:list list-type=\"bullet\"> <jats:list-item>Pollen has an extraordinary ability to convert from a dry state to an extremely rapidly growing state. During pollination, pollen receives water and Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> from the contacting pistil, which will be a directional cue for pollen tube germination. The subsequent rapid activation of directional vesicular transport must support the pollen tube growth, but the molecular mechanism leading to this process is largely unknown.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We established a luciferase‐based pollination assay to screen genetic mutants defective in the early stage after pollination. We identified a plant‐specific VPS13, <jats:italic>Arabidopsis thaliana</jats:italic> VPS13a as important for pollen germination, and studied its molecular function.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item><jats:italic>AtVPS13a</jats:italic> mutation severely affected pollen germination and lipid droplet discharge from the rough endoplasmic reticulum. Cellular accumulation patterns of AtVPS13a and a secretory vesicle marker were synchronized at the polarized site, with a slight delay to the local Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> elevation. We found a brief Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> spike after initiation of pollen hydration, which may be related to the directional cues for pollen tube emergence. Although this Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> dynamics after pollination was unaffected by the absence of AtVPS13a, the mutant suffered reduced cell wall deposition during pollen germination.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>AtVPS13a mediates pollen polarization, by regulating proper directional vesicular transport following Ca<jats:sup>2+</jats:sup> signaling for directional tube outgrowth.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"9 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2024-12-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142758273","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Cell fate determination during sexual plant reproduction","authors":"Xiaorong Huang,&nbsp;Meng-Xiang Sun","doi":"10.1111/nph.20230","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nph.20230","url":null,"abstract":"<p>The flowering plant life cycle is completed by an alternation of diploid and haploid generations. The diploid sporophytes produce initial cells that undergo meiosis and produce spores. From haploid spores, male or female gametophytes, which produce gametes, develop. The union of gametes at fertilization restores diploidy in the zygote that initiates a new cycle of diploid sporophyte development. During this complex process, cell fate determination occurs at each of the critical stages and necessarily underpins successful plant reproduction. Here, we summarize available knowledge on the regulatory mechanism of cell fate determination at these critical stages of sexual reproduction, including sporogenesis, gametogenesis, and early embryogenesis, with particular emphasis on regulatory pathways of both male and female gametes before fertilization, and both apical and basal cell lineages of a proembryo after fertilization. Investigations reveal that cell fate determination involves multiple regulatory factors, such as positional information, differential distribution of cell fate determinants, cell-to-cell communication, and cell type-specific transcription factors. These factors temporally and spatially act for different cell type differentiation to ensure successful sexual reproduction. These new insights into regulatory mechanisms underlying sexual cell fate determination not only updates our knowledge on sexual plant reproduction, but also provides new ideas and tools for crop breeding.</p>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"245 2","pages":"480-495"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-29","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/nph.20230","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142753611","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Medicago truncatula genotype drives the plant nutritional strategy and its associated rhizosphere bacterial communities","authors":"Anouk Zancarini,&nbsp;Christine Le Signor,&nbsp;Sébastien Terrat,&nbsp;Julie Aubert,&nbsp;Christophe Salon,&nbsp;Nathalie Munier-Jolain,&nbsp;Christophe Mougel","doi":"10.1111/nph.20272","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nph.20272","url":null,"abstract":"<p>\u0000 </p>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"245 2","pages":"767-784"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/nph.20272","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142752076","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Corrigendum to: Anthocyanin Fruit encodes an R2R3-MYB transcription factor, SlAN2-like, activating the transcription of SlMYBATV to fine-tune anthocyanin content in tomato fruit","authors":"","doi":"10.1111/nph.20296","DOIUrl":"10.1111/nph.20296","url":null,"abstract":"<p><i>New Phytologist</i>, 225(2020), 2048–2063, doi: 10.1111/nph.16272.</p><p>Since its publication, it has been brought to our attention that there are errors in the article by Yan <i>et al</i>. (<span>2023</span>). Some of the images in Figs 7, 8 &amp; S11 were duplicated in error during the compilation of these figures. The correct Figs 7, 8 &amp; S11, and the associated legends, are given below.</p><p>We apologize to our readers for these errors.</p><p><b>Corrected Figs 7, 8 &amp; S11:</b></p><p>Authors for correspondence:</p><p><i>Zhengkun Qiu</i></p><p><i>Email:</i> <span>[email protected]</span></p><p><i>Bihao Cao</i></p><p><i>Email:</i> <span>[email protected]</span></p><p><i>Xiaoxi Liu</i></p><p><i>Email:</i> <span>[email protected]</span></p>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"245 2","pages":"914-916"},"PeriodicalIF":8.3,"publicationDate":"2024-11-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/nph.20296","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142741052","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Patterns of presence–absence variation of NLRs across populations of Solanum chilense are clade‐dependent and mainly shaped by past demographic history","authors":"Gustavo A. Silva‐Arias, Edeline Gagnon, Surya Hembrom, Alexander Fastner, Muhammad Ramzan Khan, Remco Stam, Aurélien Tellier","doi":"10.1111/nph.20293","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20293","url":null,"abstract":"Summary<jats:list list-type=\"bullet\"> <jats:list-item>Understanding the evolution of pathogen resistance genes (nucleotide‐binding site‐leucine‐rich repeats, NLRs) within a species requires a comprehensive examination of factors that affect gene loss and gain.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>We present a new reference genome of <jats:italic>Solanum chilense</jats:italic>, which leads to an increased number and more accurate annotation of NLRs. Using a target capture approach, we quantify the presence–absence variation (PAV) of NLR <jats:italic>loci</jats:italic> across 20 populations from different habitats. We build a rigorous pipeline to validate the identification of PAV of NLRs and then show that PAV is larger within populations than between populations, suggesting that maintenance of NLR diversity is linked to population dynamics.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>The amount of PAV appears not to be correlated with the NLR presence in gene clusters in the genome, but rather with the past demographic history of the species, with loss of NLRs in diverging (smaller) populations at the distribution edges. Finally, using a redundancy analysis, we find limited evidence of PAV being linked to environmental gradients.</jats:list-item> <jats:list-item>Our results suggest that random processes (genetic drift and demography) and weak positive selection for local adaptation shape the evolution of NLRs at the single nucleotide polymorphism and PAV levels in an outcrossing plant with high nucleotide diversity.</jats:list-item> </jats:list>","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"71 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142697072","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Toward understanding how cross-kingdom ecological strategies interactively influence soil carbon cycling","authors":"Jennifer L. Kane, Jie Hu, Binu Tripathi","doi":"10.1111/nph.20290","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20290","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;Cultivating knowledge to enable accurate estimates of soil carbon fluxes has never been more critical as we contend with climate change. Nevertheless, the incredible diversity of soil communities and the environmental conditions that they experience obfuscates this understanding. Many of these environmental scenarios are influenced by the widespread, human-caused disturbance that has characterized recent history (e.g. deforestation). Environmental restoration practices hold promise to recover some ecosystem functions and aid in climate change mitigation (e.g. by capturing and storing carbon in soil), but many questions remain about the factors that determine the efficacy of these practices. Plants drive the influx of carbon to the soil through above- and belowground litter and root exudates, while the processing of this carbon by soil organisms determines whether carbon persists in soil or is respired to the atmosphere. An immensely diverse, microscopic community of bacteria, fungi, and animals (e.g. nematodes, protists) influences these soil carbon dynamics through their metabolic processes and interactions with one another. Despite this theoretical understanding, quantitative evidence of how inter-organismal interactions determine carbon flow in soil remains difficult to interpret in the context of soil carbon accrual since these interactions are immensely complex and dynamic. A recent publication by Zhang &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;. (&lt;span&gt;2024b&lt;/span&gt;; doi: 10.1111/nph.20166) in &lt;i&gt;New Phytologist&lt;/i&gt; addresses this challenge in a compelling way by considering the ecological strategies of plants and nematodes interactively to explain soil carbon dynamics across a gradient of environmental conditions. Their approach is particularly novel and valuable because they not only consider the interactions between plants and nematodes across a gradient of environmental disturban but also connect this to microbial carbon cycling to explain soil carbon content. &lt;blockquote&gt;&lt;p&gt;‘…integrated plant and nematode ecological spectra explain more variation in soil carbon dynamics together, than either do alone.’&lt;/p&gt;\u0000&lt;div&gt;&lt;/div&gt;\u0000&lt;/blockquote&gt;\u0000&lt;/div&gt;\u0000&lt;p&gt;Viewing organisms through the lens of their ecological strategies allows us to understand how they function within ecosystems and, thus, conceptualize their interactions with other organisms. Plant ecologists have pioneered this effort, cultivating a historic body of knowledge regarding trade-offs between plant traits across environmental gradients. For example, the leaf economics spectrum defines leaf traits like mass per unit area and leaf tissue nitrogen as indicative of plant investment strategy, varying across environmental conditions (Wright &lt;i&gt;et al&lt;/i&gt;., &lt;span&gt;2004&lt;/span&gt;). Such frameworks allow us to predict how plant communities may shift as ecosystems change, for instance following intense environmental disturbance. Soil ecologists have more recently sought to develop similar frameworks, identifying traits like b","PeriodicalId":214,"journal":{"name":"New Phytologist","volume":"7 1","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":9.4,"publicationDate":"2024-11-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"142696625","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":1,"RegionCategory":"生物学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}