This title appears in the Scientific Report :
2021
Carbon dynamics in nodulated pea root systems: 3D imaging andquantification with short lived isotopes
Carbon dynamics in nodulated pea root systems: 3D imaging andquantification with short lived isotopes
Biological nitrogen fixation by root nodules of legumes is one of the most important sources for nitrogen in natural ecosystems and low-input agriculture systems. The fact that the host plants of the nodules provide carbon components from photosynthesis in exchange for the nitrogen is long known, as...
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Personal Name(s): | Metzner, Ralf (Corresponding author) |
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Chlubek, Antonia / Bühler, Jonas / Pflugfelder, Daniel / Schurr, Ulrich / Huber, Gregor / Koller, Robert / Jahnke, Siegfried | |
Contributing Institute: |
Pflanzenwissenschaften; IBG-2 |
Imprint: |
2021
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Conference: | Rooting 2021 9th International Symposium on Root Development, Nottingham (UK), 2021-05-24 - 2021-05-28 |
Document Type: |
Poster |
Research Program: |
Biological and environmental resources for sustainable use |
Subject (ZB): | |
Publikationsportal JuSER |
Biological nitrogen fixation by root nodules of legumes is one of the most important sources for nitrogen in natural ecosystems and low-input agriculture systems. The fact that the host plants of the nodules provide carbon components from photosynthesis in exchange for the nitrogen is long known, as are many details about how the host plants interact with the rhizobia in terms of nodule development. However, there is still a lack in understanding how plants modulate carbon allocation to a nodulated root system as a dynamic response to abiotic stimuli. One reason is that most approaches are based on destructive sampling (e.g. stable isotope tracers), making investigation of localized carbon allocation dynamics in the root system difficult. We employed non-invasive Positron Emission Tomography (PET) to follow the allocation of leaf-supplied 11C tracer towards individual nodules in a three-dimensional (3D) root system of pea (Pisum sativum). Nitrate was applied to the root system to rapidly shut down biological nitrogen fixation and follow the effect on carbon allocation dynamics for the first time at this spatial and temporal resolution. This treatment lead to a reduction of 11C tracer allocation to nodules by 40% - 47% in 5 treated plants within 42h while the change in control plants was less than 11%. Our study demonstrates the strength of using 11C tracers in a PET approach for non-invasive quantification of dynamic carbon allocation in growing plants over several days and within the 3D structure of a root system. |