Contrasting effects of native soil microbiomes on direct and indirect herbivore resistance in a dominant shrub species

Clicks: 95
ID: 332469
2026
Free PDF
Article Quality & Performance Metrics
Overall Quality
Not rated
Combines reader engagement with the AI quality analysis. This article has not been analysed, so there is no overall score — reader engagement is measured and shown alongside.
AI Quality Assessment
Not analyzed
Readership in this journal
Emerging

Ranked #17 of 269 articles by views in Annals of botany

Most read Least read

Bar heights use a square-root scale. Only the 120 most-read articles are drawn; the journal has 269 in total.

Mint this article as an NFT
Not yet minted

Create a permanent, verifiable on-chain record of this article on the Scimatic Network. The NFT is held in your Journament account, and you can withdraw it to your own wallet at any time.

5 SUSD one-off · no wallet required
Sign in to mint
Abstract
Abstract Background and Aims The soil microbiome is known to modulate plant resistance to insect herbivores. Research on this topic has traditionally focused on bottom-up effects of plants on insects (direct resistance). However, how soil microbiomes affect plant resistance via top-down control of insects by natural enemies (indirect resistance) remains understudied. We conducted a greenhouse experiment using Baccharis salicifolia as a model to test the effects of native soil microbiomes on (i) direct resistance against the generalist aphid Aphis gossypii and (ii) indirect resistance by natural enemies. Methods We grew B. salicifolia plants in a common sterilized substrate that was either inoculated with 10% native field soil or left uninoculated as a sterile control and performed a bioassay with A. gossypii to assess direct resistance by measuring aphid performance (age at first reproduction and reproductive rate). Then, we assessed indirect resistance by excluding natural enemies and estimating effects on aphid colony size in plants growing in inoculated vs. uninoculated soil. Key Results Plants in inoculated soil exhibited a 15% increase in growth, while aphid reproduction was reduced by 18% compared to uninoculated soil. Moreover, soil inoculation significantly altered the strength of top-down control by natural enemies. Access to natural enemies reduced aphid colony size by 23% in uninoculated soils but only by 11% in inoculated soils, indicating weaker indirect resistance under soil inoculation. Conclusions We show that native microbial communities regulate plant-insect-natural enemy interactions via contrasting effects on direct and indirect resistance, underscoring the need to consider both pathways to understand microbial impacts on plant resistance.
Reference Key
openalex_W7221997025 Use this key to autocite in the manuscript while using SciMatic Manuscript Manager or Thesis Manager
Authors Ignacio Vicente‐Díez, Kailen A. Mooney, Carla Vázquez‐González
Are you one of these authors? Claim your profile
Journal Annals of botany
Year 2026
DOI
10.1093/aob/mcag334
URL
https://doi.org/10.1093/aob/mcag334
Keywords Keywords not found

Citations

No citations found. To add a citation, contact the admin at info@scimatic.org

Comments

No comments yet. Be the first to comment on this article.