Plant signaling & behavior最新文献

{"title":"Foliar GR24 and γ-aminobutyric acid modulate redox signaling, root-system architecture, and mineral homeostasis in tellurite-stressed wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.).","authors":"Imran Haider, Sana Ur Rehman, Zafar Iqbal, Aqib Mahmood, Azatullah Zaheer, Muhammad Yousaf Nadeem, Muhammad Mubushar, Muhammad Usman Tahir","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2728143","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2728143","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Tellurite (TeO₃^2-) is a phytotoxic tellurium (Te) species that disrupts cellular redox homeostasis, mineral nutrition, and root development. However, the signaling events underlying tellurite toxicity and its mitigation in cereals remain poorly understood. This study examined whether foliar application of GR24, a synthetic strigolactone analog, and <i>γ</i>-aminobutyric acid (GABA), individually or jointly, modulates early root signaling and downstream physiological acclimation in wheat (<i>Triticum aestivum</i> L.) exposed to tellurite. A 2 × 4 factorial experiment was conducted using two tellurite conditions and four foliar treatments: solvent control, GR24, GABA, and GR24 + GABA, with five replicate pots. Root reactive oxygen species (ROS), nitric oxide (NO), and calcium (Ca²⁺) signals were monitored for 72 h following the first foliar application. Redox homeostasis, plasma-membrane functioning, root-system architecture, rhizosphere properties, elemental composition, mineral/Te selectivity, and subcellular Te partitioning were subsequently assessed. Both signaling compounds alleviated tellurite-induced injury, with their combined application producing the strongest response by improving redox balance, membrane energization, mineral selectivity, root-system development, and root cell-wall Te retention. Relative to tellurite alone, GR24 + GABA restored total root length from 306 to 536 cm plant^-1 (a 75.2% increase) and reduced the root-to-shoot Te translocation factor from 0.409 to 0.123 (a 69.9% decrease). These findings suggest that GR24 and GABA interactively improve tellurite tolerance by reshaping early redox-NO-Ca²⁺ signaling, restoring membrane energization, and coordinating selective nutrient acquisition with root-level Te sequestration.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2728143"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13577299/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148957664","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Root hair initiation-dependent and -independent nuclear movements during root hair development in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i>.","authors":"Hirotomo Takatsuka, Chisako Yasuda","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2726829","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2726829","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Nuclear migration toward the tip is an essential intracellular structural reorganization that drives tip growth in root hairs. Previous studies have demonstrated that the nucleus is delivered to the root hair tip via three sequential steps. However, it remains poorly understood what triggers each step. Here, we show that the 1st step-the shift from the cell center toward the inner lateral membrane of root hair precursor cells-normally occurs in root hair precursor cells lacking ROOT HAIR DEFECTIVE 6 (RHD6)-induced root hair initiation, which is characterized by hair bulge formation. In contrast, the 2nd step-migration from the inner lateral membrane toward the root hair initiation site-is abolished in RHD6-deficient cells, indicating that the 1st and 2nd steps represent root hair initiation-independent and -dependent nuclear movements, respectively. Unlike the subsequent steps, the 1st step occurs normally even in the absence of the major actin genes, namely ACTIN2 and ACTIN7, raising the possibility that an actin-independent force steers the 1st step of nuclear migration in root hair cells. Furthermore, undergoing the inward movement of the first step is unexpectedly not mandatory to proceed to the next stage. Altogether, our findings highlight the existence of elaborate yet flexible mechanisms that ensure precise nuclear delivery to its destination in root hairs.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2726829"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13596882/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148993310","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Engineering the plant holobiont for enhanced abiotic stress resilience: current insights and future directions.","authors":"Malvin Albert, Mehrdad Alizadeh, Thomas Argyarich Jefferson, Dedat Prismantoro, Reginawanti Hindersah, Ravindra Chandra Joshi, Wiwiek Harsonowati, Kah-Ooi Chua, Nandang Permadi, Mia Miranti, Febri Doni","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2752710","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1080/15592324.2026.2752710","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Climate change has intensified abiotic stresses such as drought, heat, and salinity, posing major threats to agricultural productivity and global food security. Conventional strategies to improve crop tolerance often face limitations in efficiency, sustainability, and environmental adaptability, underscoring the need for innovative approaches. This review focuses on the plant holobiont, which views plants and their associated microbiomes as an integrated functional unit in governing stress adaptation. Abiotic stress can disrupt plant-associated microbial communities, leading to dysbiosis and reduced holobiont resilience. Beneficial microorganisms, including plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria, endophytes, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi, can enhance stress tolerance by improving nutrient acquisition, regulating phytohormone signaling, strengthening antioxidant defenses, maintaining osmotic balance, and modulating stress-responsive gene expression. Emerging evidence suggests that these interactions contribute to the establishment of holobiont stress adaptation through biochemical signaling, microenvironmental modification, and epigenetic regulation, enabling plants to respond more effectively to recurrent stress. Advances in microbiome engineering, particularly through the development of synthetic microbial communities (SynComs), offer promising opportunities to restore microbial functions and enhance crop resilience under changing climatic conditions. The integration of multi-omics technologies, artificial intelligence, and precision agriculture is expected to accelerate the development of microbiome-based solutions for sustainable crop production. Collectively, microbiome engineering represents a promising, environmentally sustainable strategy to enhance the holobiont's adaptive resilience and improve long-term plant performance under abiotic stress.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2752710"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149291557","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Identifying anthracnose resistance genes involving in ROS and JA accumulation.","authors":"Min Zhang, Yuxin Wang, Shuqi Cheng, Weijuan Huang, Yang Liu, Lijing Liu","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2668219","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2668219","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Anthracnose, caused by one of the top ten most destructive plant fungal pathogen <i>Colletotrichum</i> spp., is a devastating disease that infects a wide range of plant species and severely compromises crop yields. Understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying plant resistance to anthracnose is therefore crucial for developing effective control strategies. In previous studies, we have identified two broad-spectrum disease resistance genes, <i>Cystatin 6</i> (<i>CYS6</i>) and <i>Botrytis cinerea-induced F-box protein 1</i> (<i>BFP1</i>), which encode proteins modulating reactive oxygen species (ROS) and jasmonic acid (JA) accumulation, respectively. Here, we investigated whether these genes contribute to anthracnose resistance. Our results demonstrated that <i>Colletotrichum higginsianum</i> infection caused milder symptoms in <i>CYS6</i> and <i>BFP1</i> overexpression lines compared to wild-type plants. Importantly, neither <i>BFP1</i> nor <i>CYS6</i> overexpression adversely affected plant growth or seed production. The evolutionary conservation of CYS6 and BFP1 across different crops were also checked. Our study highlights the potential of <i>CYS6</i> and <i>BFP1</i> as promising targets for molecular breeding programs aimed at developing anthracnose-resistant crops.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2668219"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13138085/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147825307","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Overexpression of <i>AtPROPEP6</i> enhances <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> resistance to Southern root-knot nematode <i>Meloidogyne incognita</i>.","authors":"Payal Sanadhya, Kallahan Minor, Jiamei Li, Suxing Liu, Alexander Bucksch, Alisa Huffaker, Joanna Kud, Fiona L Goggin","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2624239","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2624239","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Plant elicitor peptides (Peps), derived from PROPEP protein precursors, are stress-induced signaling molecules that enhance plant immunity. While previous studies of Pep-mediated immune signaling in <i>Arabidopsis thaliana</i> have focused on the roles of <i>AtPROPEP1-3</i> genes in bacterial and fungal resistance, this study identifies the <i>AtPROPEP6</i> gene as a contributor to defense against the Southern root-knot nematode (<i>Meloidogyne incognita)</i>. <i>In silico</i> promoter analysis revealed enrichment of W box motifs, suggesting potential regulation by WRKY transcription factors associated with plant immune responses. Unlike other <i>PROPEP</i> gene family members, <i>AtPROPEP6</i> shows specific upregulation in response to ascr#18, a nematode-derived molecular pattern, but not to other pathogen elicitors. Transgenic constitutive overexpression of <i>AtPROPEP6</i> in <i>A. thaliana</i> significantly reduced gall formation and total nematode numbers and delayed nematode development. These phenotypes correlated with <i>AtPROPEP6</i> transcript abundance in three independent transgenic lines and were accompanied by elevated basal <i>AtPR1a</i> expression. Although <i>AtPROPEP6</i>-overexpressing plants exhibited shorter roots, the extent of root length reduction did not align with transgene expression levels, and the number of root tips available for infection remained unchanged. Our findings expand the repertoire of defense-associated <i>A. thaliana PROPEP</i>s beyond <i>AtPROPEP1-3</i> and identify <i>AtPROPEP6</i> as a paralog contributing to plant defense against nematodes.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2624239"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12893677/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146145262","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deciphering the PgLEA2-50 interactome: implications for abiotic stress responses in <i><b>Panax ginseng</b></i>.","authors":"Qi Wang, Jinlong Liu, Mengyang Zhang, Peiying Wang, Tong Li, Xingbo Bian, Xiaoyun Chen, Shuang Chen, Lina Wang, Juntao Lei, Liu Han, Mengran Xu, Qiuyue Zhang, Xiujuan Lei, Yingping Wang, Xin Sun","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2624961","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2624961","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Ginseng's prolonged development renders it susceptible to environmental stresses. Late embryogenesis abundant (LEA) proteins are essential for plant resistance to abiotic stress. Our previous study demonstrated that <i>PgLEA2-50</i>, a member of the LEA protein family, plays a significant role in stress resistance. In this study, we employed IP-MS, bioinformatics, and molecular interaction assays to investigate the mechanisms underlying its stress resistance. PgLEA2-50 formed complex networks with multiple interacting proteins, which were enriched in stress-related processes such as gibberellin (GA) signal transduction, saponin biosynthesis, and the oxidative stress response. Transcriptome analysis revealed that its interacting targets exhibited significant responses to abiotic stress at the transcriptional level. An investigation of the DELLA protein PgRGA4 showed that it was down-regulated following GA induction, with its transcriptional activity inhibited under stress conditions. <i>PgRGA4</i> was found to be localized in both the nucleus and cytoplasm, and co-immunoprecipitation (CO-IP) confirmed its interaction with PgLEA2-50, suggesting that PgLEA2-50 indirectly regulates GA-mediated stress resistance. This study provides a ginseng-specific case for the role of LEA proteins in stress resistance and identifies a novel gene target for molecular breeding in medicinal plants.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2624961"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12885439/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"146128028","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Modulation of GSNOR activity for improved NO homeostasis and flood resilience in plants.","authors":"Thea Wulf, Felix Lutter, Vajiheh Safavi-Rizi","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2616544","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2616544","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Flood-induced hypoxia (low oxygen concentration) is increasing in frequency and intensity due to climate change, leading to significant crop yield losses and posing a major threat to global food security. <i>S</i>-nitrosoglutathione reductase (GSNOR) is a highly conserved, cysteine-rich homodimer that regulates the cellular level of the most abundant nitric oxide (NO) reservoir <i>S</i>-nitrosoglutathione (GSNO). GSNOR plays a fundamental role in NO homeostasis, as well as in plant development and stress responses, particularly hypoxia. This review summarizes the critical position of GSNOR in the plant hypoxia regulation network. We discuss how GSNOR controls the intracellular pool of <i>S</i>-nitrosothiols (SNOs), especially GSNO, thereby mitigating cytotoxic nitrosative stress while fine-tuning NO-mediated posttranslational modifications (PTMs), such as <i>S</i>-nitrosylation. Furthermore, we explored the regulation of GSNOR activity through various mechanisms, including oxidative PTMs and protein‒protein interactions. Targeted manipulation of GSNOR activity represents a promising strategy for enhancing flood tolerance in agriculturally important crops. We propose possible approaches for GSNOR manipulation and highlight urgent questions that must be addressed in future research to improve flood resilience in agricultural systems and protect global food security.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2616544"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12818808/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145992308","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Deciphering soybean-microbiome interactions: from rhizosphere dynamics to sustainable yield enhancement.","authors":"Yalpi Karthik, Kalpana Nanjareddy, Manoj-Kumar Arthikala","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2693436","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2693436","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The soybean plant (<i>Glycine max</i> L.) is an important crop for valuable food source because of its high levels of protein and oil, thus contributing greatly to a sustainable system for producing food through biological nitrogen fixation. Recent research supports the theory that the soybean-associated microbiome located in the rhizosphere is a crucial regulatory mechanism governing plant growth, nutrient acquisition, and stress tolerance. Additionally, advances in metagenomics, metatranscriptomics, metabolomics, and root exudate profiling via LC‒MS have shown that soybean roots alter the microbial communities found in their rhizosphere by utilizing dynamic chemical signaling and targeted microbial recruitment, thereby enhancing the ecological interpretation of the processes that drive microbiome assembly. Microbial consortia (AMF & PGPR) assess cycling through nutrients, phytohormones, suppressing diseases, as well as having a legacy effects on the productivity of agroecosystems. Factors such as plant genotype, physical and chemical soil properties, and environmental conditions greatly affect the assembly and functioning of the soybean microbiome, thus this is difficult to transfer this information to field applications. Unlike previous reviews focused primarily on biological nitrogen fixation, this review integrates recent advances in multi-omics technologies, species-level microbiome characterization, root exudate chemistry, microbiome-assisted breeding, and translational microbiome engineering approaches to provide a systems-level perspective of soybean-microbiome interactions. while also identifying significant knowledge gaps and future areas of research within this aspect of agriculture.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2693436"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13336268/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148383463","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Microplastics in the rhizosphere: unraveling plant-microbe-soil interactions and consequences for crop resilience.","authors":"Taiba Saeed, Tanveer Alam Khan, Mohammad Yusuf, Andrej Bajguz","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2678701","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2678701","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Microplastics (MPs), plastic particles smaller than 5 mm, are increasingly recognized as pervasive pollutants in terrestrial ecosystems, especially agricultural soils, which serve as long-term sinks. While early research prioritized aquatic environments, recent studies underscore the diverse pathways through which MPs infiltrate soils, via plastic mulching, wastewater irrigation, sewage sludge, compost, and atmospheric deposition. This review provides a comprehensive overview of emerging insights into MPs-plant-microbe interactions within soil systems, emphasizing both their complex ecological effects and key knowledge gaps. The main objective of this review is to consolidate current evidence on how MPs affect plant physiology and soil microbial dynamics, and to highlight methodological limitations impeding progress in this field. MPs exhibit variable but often detrimental effects on plant health, including delayed germination, inhibited growth, impaired photosynthesis, and disrupted nutrient uptake. These outcomes are largely driven by physical blockage, chemical leaching, and oxidative stress, and are influenced by MPs characteristics (polymer type, shape, concentration) and plant species traits. Interestingly, low MPs levels may occasionally improve root biomass through enhanced soil aeration and water retention, reflecting the context-dependent nature of MPs impacts. Crucially, MPs alter soil microbial communities, reducing beneficial microbes, promoting pathogens, and interfering with enzymatic functions, thereby indirectly undermining soil fertility and crop productivity. Disruption of symbiotic relationships, such as mycorrhizal associations, further compounds ecological stress. This review also identifies a pressing need for standardized MPs detection and toxicity assessment protocols. Advancing analytical tools and ecologically relevant models is essential for uncovering plant molecular responses and supporting sustainable agriculture in MPs-contaminated environments.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2678701"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13203030/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148007440","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Endophytic fungal community structure and diversity in paphiopedilum barbigerum across different habitats.","authors":"Yu Wu, Ping Yu, Fan Tian, Lang Huang, Shan Du, Cheng Jiang Tan, Yuan Mei Jia","doi":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2689805","DOIUrl":"10.1080/15592324.2026.2689805","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objective: </strong>This study aimed to investigate the response patterns of root-associated fungal communities in the rare and endangered species <i>Paphiopedilum barbigerum</i> across different habitat types, and to identify key taxonomic groups that differentiate natural habitats from reintroduction sites, thereby providing a theoretical basis for the species artificial propagation and field reintroduction.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using PacBio high-throughput sequencing, we sequenced the ITS region of 21 root samples of <i>P. barbigerum</i> collected from seven sites representing three habitat categories: natural habitats within a nature reserve (SL, DE, YL, KL), natural habitats outside the reserve (FQ, KY), and a field reintroduction site (HG). Alpha diversity, beta diversity, LEfSe analysis, and co-occurrence network analysis were employed to characterize root-associated fungal community structure, diversity, and habitat-driven assembly patterns.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 792,178 clean reads were obtained and classified into 8 phyla, 37 classes, 134 orders, 352 families, 1,012 genera, and 2,311 species. The communities were dominated by Ascomycota (52.90%-91.41%) and Basidiomycota (7.79%-54.33%). Key findings include: (1) Fungal species richness was significantly higher in natural habitats within the reserve than at the reintroduction site and natural habitats outside the reserve, with specific enrichment of desiccation-tolerant taxa such as Chaetothyriales and <i>Exophiala</i> (relative abundance 12.58%-33.53%). (2) The fungal community structure at the reintroduction site converged with that of natural habitats outside the reserve. Core OTUs included <i>Epulorhiza</i> sp., <i>Cladosporium</i> sp., and <i>Lachancea thermotolerans</i>, all of which exhibited significantly higher relative abundances in these two habitat types; notably, <i>Epulorhiza</i> sp. reached a relative abundance of 44.79% at the reintroduction site, suggesting a key role in host growth and development.</p><p><strong>Conclusion: </strong>Habitat heterogeneity is associated with adaptive restructuring of the root-associated fungal community by selecting for distinct functional guilds: desiccation-tolerant taxa are enriched in natural habitats within the reserve, whereas growth-promoting taxa are enriched in disturbed habitats. We recommend prioritizing the conservation of natural habitats within the reserve to preserve high fungal diversity and stress-tolerant guilds, and emphasize the targeted utilization and monitoring of core growth-promoting fungi such as <i>Epulorhiza</i> during reintroduction programs.</p>","PeriodicalId":94172,"journal":{"name":"Plant signaling & behavior","volume":"21 1","pages":"2689805"},"PeriodicalIF":3.6,"publicationDate":"2026-12-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13285552/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148274553","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}