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Do soil microbes affect flowers’ ability to attract bees?

2024-12-04
(Press-News.org) New research reveals that certain soil microbes can help plants grow bigger flowers, therefore attracting more bees. The findings, which are published in New Phytologist, suggest that studying roots’ relationships with microbes can help scientists predict floral trait variations and plant-pollinator interactions.

The research focused on arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), which form a symbiotic relationship with plant roots, providing the plant with nutrients and water in exchange for carbon. AMF associations with plants’ roots enhanced flower size, resulting in more visitations by bees; however, especially high AMF root colonization caused smaller flowers, indicating potential trade-offs between plant growth and fungal associations.

“Our findings reveal that the hidden roles of AMF can emerge when we look beyond plant growth or a single AMF species,” said corresponding author Aidee Guzman, PhD, who was at the University of California Berkeley while conducting this research and is now an Assistant Professor at Stanford University. “Floral traits and bee activity varied between compositionally distinct AMF communities, emphasizing that not all AMF communities are the same.”

URL upon publication: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/nph.20219

 

Additional Information
NOTE: The information contained in this release is protected by copyright. Please include journal attribution in all coverage. For more information or to obtain a PDF of any study, please contact: Sara Henning-Stout, newsroom@wiley.com.

About the Journal
New Phytologist is an international journal publishing outstanding original research in plant science and its applications. Research falls into five sections: Physiology & Development, Environment, Interaction, Evolution, and Transformative Plant Biotechnology. Topics covered range from intracellular processes through to global environmental change. New Phytologist is owned by the New Phytologist Foundation, a non-profit organization dedicated to the promotion of plant science.

About Wiley      
Wiley is one of the world’s largest publishers and a trusted leader in research and learning. Our industry-leading content, services, platforms, and knowledge networks are tailored to meet the evolving needs of our customers and partners, including researchers, students, instructors, professionals, institutions, and corporations. We empower knowledge-seekers to transform today’s biggest obstacles into tomorrow’s brightest opportunities. For more than two centuries, Wiley has been delivering on its timeless mission to unlock human potential. Visit us at Wiley.com. Follow us on Facebook, X, LinkedIn and Instagram.

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[Press-News.org] Do soil microbes affect flowers’ ability to attract bees?