The Impact of Pathogenic and Abiotic Stress on Nutrient Cycling

Plants lie at the interface between living and nonliving matter. With their ability to incorporate C, N, and P into biomass, they are the primary producers in many ecosystems as well as regulators of global biogeochemical cycles. As such, they are at the center of urgent challenges in food and climate. How is plant nutrient cycling shaped by biotic and abiotic stress? One important biotic stress is infectious disease driven by pathogenic microbes. However, it remains unclear how host-pathogen interactions are modulated by host genetics and microbe-microbe interactions in the wider microbiota. In Part 1 of this talk, we describe ongoing efforts to characterize the relationship between pathogens, hosts, and the microbiome using genomics and ecological modeling.

Plants also face abiotic stresses such as nutrient limitation, physical disturbance, and chemical shocks. Because plants are sessile, their repertoires of behavioral responses are limited. Instead, they rely upon developmental plasticity to adapt their morphologies to the environment. In Part 2, we analyze how morphological responses emerge from cellular/molecular events. We conclude by discussing the impacts of pathogens and stress on nutrient cycling.