the effects of nutrient dynamics on root patch choice营养动力学在根片选择的影响.pdfVIP

The Effects of Nutrient Dynamics on Root Patch Choice 1,2 . 1,2. 1 1 2 Hagai Shemesh * , Adi Arbiv , Mordechai Gersani , Ofer Ovadia , Ariel Novoplansky 1 Life Sciences Department, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva, Israel, 2 Miterani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben- Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer, Israel Abstract Plants have been recognized to be capable of allocating more roots to rich patches in the soil. We tested the hypothesis that in addition to their sensitivity to absolute differences in nutrient availability, plants are also responsive to temporal changes in nutrient availability. Different roots of the same Pisum sativum plants were subjected to variable homogeneous and heterogeneous temporally – dynamic and static nutrient regimes. When given a choice, plants not only developed greater root biomasses in richer patches; they discriminately allocated more resources to roots that developed in patches with increasing nutrient levels, even when their other roots developed in richer patches. These results suggest that plants are able to perceive and respond to dynamic environmental changes. This ability might enable plants to increase their performance by responding to both current and anticipated resource availabilities in their immediate proximity. Citation: Shemesh H, Arbiv A, Gersani M, Ovadia O, Novoplansky A (2010) The Effects of Nutrient Dynamics on Root Patch Choice. PLoS ONE 5(5): e10824. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0010824 Editor: Hans Henrik Bruun, University of Copenhagen, Denmark Received March 7, 2010; Accepted April 23, 2010; Published May 26, 2010 Copyright: 2010 Shemesh et al.