2025-10-30 アメリカ合衆国・カンサス大学 (KU)
The research team performed genetic analysis on both microbes and plants to better understand on the molecular level how legacy effects might function. Pictured is cross section of a corn root from the study.
<関連情報>
- https://news.ku.edu/news/article/new-study-explores-legacy-effects-of-soil-microbes-on-plants-across-kansas
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-025-02148-8
土壌微生物に対する降水レガシー効果は植物の適応的な干ばつ反応を促進する Precipitation legacy effects on soil microbiota facilitate adaptive drought responses in plants
Nichole A. Ginnan,Valéria Custódio,David Gopaulchan,Natalie Ford,Isai Salas-González,Dylan H. Jones,Darren M. Wells,Ângela Moreno,Gabriel Castrillo & Maggie R. Wagner
Nature Microbiology Published:30 October 2025
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41564-025-02148-8
Abstract
Drought alters the soil microbiota by selecting for functional traits that preserve fitness in dry conditions. Legacy effects or ecological memory refers to how past stress exposure influences microbiota responses to future environmental challenges. How precipitation legacy effects impact soil microorganisms and plants is unclear, especially in the context of subsequent drought. Here we characterized the metagenomes of six prairie soils spanning a precipitation gradient in Kansas, United States. A microbial precipitation legacy, which persisted over a 5-month-long experimental drought, mitigated the negative physiological effects of acute drought for a native wild grass species, but not for the domesticated crop species maize. RNA sequencing of roots revealed that soil microbiota with a low precipitation legacy altered expression of plant genes that mediate transpiration and intrinsic water-use efficiency during drought. Our results show how historical exposure to water stress alters soil microbiota, with consequences for future drought responses of some plant species.
