Abstract
Several mechanisms are expected to rapidly rid mutualisms of genetic variation in partner quality. Variation for mutualist quality, however, appears to be widespread. We used a model legume-rhizobium mutualism to test for evidence that context-dependent selection may maintain variation in partner quality. In a greenhouse experiment using 10 natural populations of Medicago truncatula and two strains of Sinorhizobium medicae, we detected significant genotype x genotype (G x G) interactions for plant fitness, indicating that the most beneficial rhizobium strain depends on the host genotype. In a second experiment using a subset of the plant populations used in the first experiment, we detected significant G x G interactions for both plant and rhizobium fitness. Moreover, the plant population with which rhizobium strains gained the greatest benefit depended on the nitrogen environment. Finally, we found that in a high nitrogen environment, all plant populations had lower fitness when inoculated with a 1:1 mixture of strains than with the worse single strain alone, suggesting that nitrogen shifts the exchange of benefits in favour of rhizobia. Our data suggest that genotype, nitrogen and biotic dependency might contribute to the maintenance of genetic variation in mutualist quality when coupled with spatial or temporal heterogeneity in the environment.
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Claims 5
Claim · model-written summary
Plant fitness showed significant host genotype by rhizobium genotype interaction.
- Taxon
- Medicago truncatula
Medicago truncatulat0 - Interactor
- Sinorhizobium medicae
Sinorhizobium medicaet0symbiont - Outcome
- plant fitnesse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we detected significant genotype x genotype (G x G) interactions for plant fitness, indicating that the most beneficial rhizobium strain depends on the host genotype”
t0“Medicago truncatula and two strains of Sinorhizobium medicae”
Claim · model-written summary
A second experiment detected significant host-by-rhizobium genotype interaction for plant fitness.
- Taxon
- Medicago truncatulaMedicago truncatulat0
- Interactor
- Sinorhizobium medicaeSinorhizobium medicaet0symbiont
- Outcome
- plante0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we detected significant G x G interactions for both plant and rhizobium fitness”
t0“Medicago truncatula and two strains of Sinorhizobium medicae”
Claim · model-written summary
A second experiment detected significant host-by-rhizobium genotype interaction for rhizobium fitness.
- Taxon
- Medicago truncatulaMedicago truncatulat0
- Interactor
- Sinorhizobium medicaeSinorhizobium medicaet0symbiont
- Outcome
- rhizobium fitnesse0
Not reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“we detected significant G x G interactions for both plant and rhizobium fitness”
t0“Medicago truncatula and two strains of Sinorhizobium medicae”
Claim · model-written summary
Nitrogen environment changed which plant population benefited rhizobium strains most.
- Taxon
- Medicago truncatulaMedicago truncatulat0
- Outcome
- rhizobium strains gained the greatest benefite0
- Setting
- nitrogen environmente0
RhizobiumNot reportedDirection
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the plant population with which rhizobium strains gained the greatest benefit depended on the nitrogen environment”
t0“10 natural populations of Medicago truncatula”
Claim · model-written summary
At high nitrogen, all plant populations had lower fitness with mixed strains than with the worse single strain.
- Taxon
- Medicago truncatulaMedicago truncatulat0
- Treatment
- inoculated with a 1:1 mixture of strainse0
- Interactor
- strainse0symbiont
- Outcome
- plant populations had lower fitnesse0
- Direction
- lowere0
- Comparator
- worse single strain alonee0
- Setting
- high nitrogen environmente0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“in a high nitrogen environment, all plant populations had lower fitness when inoculated with a 1:1 mixture of strains than with the worse single strain alone”
t0“10 natural populations of Medicago truncatula”
The same questions in other papers
inoculation · pest · Medicago truncatula (barrel medic)Positive and negative results
1 paper in the same direction as this paper · 1 in the opposite direction
- positive
- no effect
Claims are grouped by organism, treatment and what was measured or targeted. A paper counts as positive when any of its claims in the group is positive.