An extended root phenotype: the rhizosphere, its formation and impacts on plant fitness

• Published in: The Plant journal : for cell and molecular biology Vol. 103; no. 3; pp. 951 - 964
• Main Authors: de la Fuente Cantó, Carla, Simonin, Marie, King, Eoghan, Moulin, Lionel, Bennett, Malcolm J., Castrillo, Gabriel, Laplaze, Laurent
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.08.2020; Wiley
• Subjects: Biochemistry, Molecular Biology; biocontrol; drought; exudates; Fitness; Genetics; Genotype & phenotype; Life Sciences; Microbial activity; microbiome; Microbiomes; Microorganisms; Nutrients; Nutrition; Phenotypes; Physicochemical properties; Plant breeding; Plant nutrition; Plant Physiological Phenomena; Plant Roots - anatomy & histology; Plant Roots - microbiology; Plant Roots - physiology; Plants - anatomy & histology; Plants - microbiology; Plants genetics; Rhizosphere; root; salinity; soil; Soil dynamics; Soil Microbiology; Soil water; Soils; Vegetal Biology; plant nutrition; salinity; drought; root; soil; exudates; biocontrol; microbiome; rhizosphere
• ISSN: 0960-7412; 1365-313X
• DOI: 10.1111/tpj.14781

SUMMARY Plants forage soil for water and nutrients, whose distribution is patchy and often dynamic. To improve their foraging activities, plants have evolved mechanisms to modify the physicochemical properties and microbial communities of the rhizosphere, i.e. the soil compartment under the influence of the roots. This dynamic interplay in root−soil−microbiome interactions creates emerging properties that impact plant nutrition and health. As a consequence, the rhizosphere can be considered an extended root phenotype, a manifestation of the effects of plant genes on their environment inside and/or outside of the organism. Here, we review current understanding of how plants shape the rhizosphere and the benefits it confers to plant fitness. We discuss future research challenges and how applying their solutions in crops will enable us to harvest the benefits of the extended root phenotype. Significance Statement Plants have evolved mechanisms to modify the physicochemical properties and microbial communities of the rhizosphere. Here, we review our current knowledge on how plants create this extended phenotype through root−soil−microbiome interactions and the benefits it confers to plant fitness.