Improving plant resilience to environmental change

What is it about?

Plants are dynamic systems that are able to adapt continually to changing environmental conditions. Adaptation is particularly important in challenging environments where the allocation of limited resources must be balanced between growth and defence. The benefits of symbiotic relationships The ability of plants to adapt can be modulated by their associated microbiota — both the beneficial and disease-causing communities of organisms living among the plant system. The root-based beneficial organisms (called mycorrhizal symbioses) modify plant responses to external stimuli, generally improving the resilience of the plant system to environmental stresses. Phytohormones regulate plants and symbioses Phytohormones regulate plant responses to the changing environment, and also regulate mycorrhizal symbioses. The changes in plant hormones in response to the environment might, therefore, affect the ability of the mycorrhizal symbioses to colonize the plant or to work efficiently with the plant. The reverse is also true; mycorrhizal symbioses can help alleviate plant stress under unfavourable conditions by altering the balance of hormones in the host plant. Shared molecular signalling pathways Recent research has found evidence that the molecular phytohormone signalling pathways that regulate plant responses to developmental cues (including symbioses) and the pathways that regulate the plant response to environmental change contain some of the same molecules. The research also identified key regulatory elements — known as molecular hubs — where multiple molecular signalling pathways meet. The integration of multiple signals through these hubs enables the plant system to fine-tune its response to particular conditions.

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Why is it important?

Optimizing plant adaptation to adversity This insight into the precise regulation of phytohormone signalling provides new evidence of the molecular contribution of mycorrhizal symbioses to plant resilience in the face of environmental challenges. Future research will enable us to understand the precise molecular regulation of the symbiosis under natural conditions. This knowledge will also help to optimize plant symbioses and their adaptation to adversity.

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