Abstract
Microorganisms associated with plant roots significantly impact the quality and quantity of plant defences. However, the bottom-up effects of soil microbes on the aboveground multitrophic interactions remain largely under studied. To address this gap, we investigated the chemically-mediated effects of nitrogen-fixing rhizobia on legume-herbivore-parasitoid multitrophic interactions. To address this, we initially examined the cascading effects of the rhizobia bean association on herbivore caterpillars, their parasitoids, and subsequently investigated how rhizobia influence on plant volatiles and extrafloral nectar. Our goal was to understand how these plant-mediated effects can affect parasitoids. Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus ) inoculated with rhizobia exhibited better growth, and the number of root nodules positively correlated with defensive cyanogenic compounds. Despite increase of these chemical defences, Spodoptera latifascia caterpillars preferred to feed and grew faster on rhizobia-inoculated plants. Moreover, the emission of plant volatiles after leaf damage showed distinct patterns between inoculation treatments, with inoculated plants producing more sesquiterpenes and benzyl nitrile than non-inoculated plants. Despite these differences, Euplectrus platyhypenae parasitoid wasps were similarly attracted to rhizobia- or no rhizobia-treated plants. Yet, the oviposition and offspring development of E. platyhypenae was better on caterpillars fed with rhizobia-inoculated plants. We additionally show that rhizobia-inoculated common bean plants ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) produced more extrafloral nectar, with higher hydrocarbon concentration, than non-inoculated plants. Consequently, parasitoids performed better when fed with extrafloral nectar from rhizobia-inoculated plants. While the overall effects of bean-rhizobia symbiosis on caterpillars were positive, rhizobia also indirectly benefited parasitoids through the caterpillar host, and directly through the improved production of high quality extrafloral nectar. This study underscores the importance of exploring diverse facets and chemical mechanisms that influence the dynamics between herbivores and predators. This knowledge is crucial for gaining a comprehensive understanding of the ecological implications of rhizobia symbiosis on these interactions.
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Claims 11
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobia-inoculated lima bean plants grew better.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plants
Phaseolus lunatuse0 - Treatment
- inoculated with rhizobiae0
- Interactor
- rhizobiae0symbiont
- Outcome
- growthe0
- Direction
- bettere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus ) inoculated with rhizobia exhibited better growth”
Claim · model-written summary
Root nodule number was positively correlated with cyanogenic defenses.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plantsPhaseolus lunatuse1
- Organ / stage
- root nodulese0
- Outcome
- defensive cyanogenic compoundse0
- Direction
- positively correlatede0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“the number of root nodules positively correlated with defensive cyanogenic compounds”
e1“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus )”
Claim · model-written summary
Spodoptera latifascia caterpillars preferred rhizobia-inoculated lima bean plants.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plantsPhaseolus lunatuse1
- Treatment
- rhizobia-inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- Spodoptera latifascia
Spodoptera latifasciae0herbivore - Second interactor
- rhizobiae1symbiont
- Outcome
- Spodoptera latifascia caterpillars preferred to feede0
- Direction
- preferrede0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Spodoptera latifascia caterpillars preferred to feed and grew faster on rhizobia-inoculated plants”
e1“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus ) inoculated with rhizobia”
Claim · model-written summary
Spodoptera latifascia caterpillars grew faster on rhizobia-inoculated plants.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plantsPhaseolus lunatuse1
- Treatment
- rhizobia-inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- Spodoptera latifasciaSpodoptera latifasciae0herbivore
- Second interactor
- rhizobiae1symbiont
- Outcome
- Spodoptera latifascia caterpillarse0
- Direction
- grew fastere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Spodoptera latifascia caterpillars preferred to feed and grew faster on rhizobia-inoculated plants”
e1“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus ) inoculated with rhizobia”
Claim · model-written summary
Inoculated lima beans emitted more sesquiterpenes after leaf damage.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plantsPhaseolus lunatuse1
- Treatment
- inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- rhizobiae1symbiont
- Outcome
- sesquiterpenese0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- non-inoculated plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“inoculated plants producing more sesquiterpenes and benzyl nitrile than non-inoculated plants”
e1“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus ) inoculated with rhizobia”
Claim · model-written summary
Inoculated lima beans emitted more benzyl nitrile after leaf damage.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plantsPhaseolus lunatuse1
- Treatment
- inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- rhizobiae1symbiont
- Outcome
- benzyl nitrilee0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- non-inoculated plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“inoculated plants producing more sesquiterpenes and benzyl nitrile than non-inoculated plants”
e1“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus ) inoculated with rhizobia”
Claim · model-written summary
Parasitoid wasps were similarly attracted to inoculated and uninoculated plants.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plantsPhaseolus lunatuse1
- Treatment
- rhizobia-e0
- Interactor
- Euplectrus platyhypenaeEuplectrus platyhypenaee0other
- Second interactor
- rhizobiae0symbiont
- Outcome
- Euplectrus platyhypenae parasitoid wasps were similarly attractede0
- Direction
- similarlye0
- Comparator
- no rhizobia-treated plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Euplectrus platyhypenae parasitoid wasps were similarly attracted to rhizobia- or no rhizobia-treated plants”
e1“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus )”
Claim · model-written summary
Parasitoid oviposition and offspring development improved on caterpillars fed inoculated plants.
- Taxon
- Lima bean plantsPhaseolus lunatuse1
- Treatment
- rhizobia-inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- E. platyhypenaeEuplectrus platyhypenaee0other
- Second interactor
- rhizobiae0symbiont
- Outcome
- oviposition and offspring development of E. platyhypenaee0
- Direction
- bettere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“oviposition and offspring development of E. platyhypenae was better on caterpillars fed with rhizobia-inoculated plants”
e1“Lima bean plants ( Phaseoulus lunatus )”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobia-inoculated common beans produced more extrafloral nectar.
- Taxon
- common bean plants
Phaseolus vulgarise0 - Treatment
- rhizobia-inoculatede0
- Interactor
- rhizobiae0symbiont
- Outcome
- extrafloral nectare0
- Direction
- moree0
- Comparator
- non-inoculated plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rhizobia-inoculated common bean plants ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) produced more extrafloral nectar, with higher hydrocarbon concentration, than non-inoculated plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Rhizobia-inoculated common beans had higher nectar hydrocarbon concentration.
- Taxon
- common bean plantsPhaseolus vulgarise0
- Treatment
- rhizobia-inoculatede0
- Interactor
- rhizobiae0symbiont
- Outcome
- hydrocarbon concentratione0
- Direction
- highere0
- Comparator
- non-inoculated plantse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“rhizobia-inoculated common bean plants ( Phaseolus vulgaris ) produced more extrafloral nectar, with higher hydrocarbon concentration, than non-inoculated plants”
Claim · model-written summary
Parasitoids performed better on nectar from inoculated common beans.
- Taxon
- common bean plantsPhaseolus vulgarise1
- Treatment
- extrafloral nectar from rhizobia-inoculated plantse0
- Interactor
- rhizobiae0symbiont
- Outcome
- parasitoids performede0
- Direction
- bettere0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“parasitoids performed better when fed with extrafloral nectar from rhizobia-inoculated plants”
e1“common bean plants ( Phaseolus vulgaris )”
The same questions in other papers
inoculation · molecular: metabolites · Phaseolus lunatus (lima bean)Results agree
1 paper in the same direction as this paper
- positive
inoculation · growth · Phaseolus lunatus (lima bean)Results agree
5 papers in the same direction as this paper
- positive
- positive
- positive
2 papers more in this group
See all 6 papers →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.